If you have a sore throat, you go to your primary care physician. If you need a yellow fever vaccine before your business trip or your semester abroad, where do you go? Most physicians aren’t trained in travel medicine. Hardly any of them has ever seen a case of yellow fever, rabies, typhoid, bacterial meningitis or Japanese encephalitis. Travelers don’t want to see a case of these diseases on their trips either. Fortunately, there are safe and effective vaccines that can prevent every one of these serious diseases. Who should administer them? Travel medicine physicians are your answer. These doctors have special training and expertise in travel vaccinations and travel safety. They immunize travelers going to destinations throughout the world. Make sure you see one of them several weeks before departure.
Sure, the CDC website is a great general resource for travel vaccination recommendations, but it doesn’t customize the advice to the traveler’s specific itinerary In other words, international travelers may not need all of the vaccinations that the CDC advises. Travel physicians can cut through all of this so you get the vaccinations that make sense for you.
Choose a physician trained in travel medicine. Verify that the physician is a certified yellow fever vaccine provider.
Keep in mind that there are many diseases abroad that have no vaccines available. For example, there are no vaccines to prevent malaria or traveler’s diarrhea. Yet, there are many strategies to reduce risks of these diseases and other conditions.
Travel vaccines prevent serious diseases abroad. Travel medicine physicians can ‘call the shots’ for you. Make sure an appointment with one of them is on your itinerary.