Shots and meds

Posted on 1/26/2010 09:33:00 PM by mike

Lots of people hate traveling cause they don't want to get a ton of shots, which brings up the question...What kind of inoculations or vaccinations will you need to go to Namibia? When the doc hears you say you're going to Africa he's gonna want to stick you like pin cushion with every shot known to man. But truth is, that is entirely unnecessary. There are no required vaccinations for traveling to Namibia, but here's the rundown on the recommendations.


Hepatitis A & B - These are both recommended especially since we'll be working with children. They are usually a series of shots over a few months but I think it lasts for life or at least a long time. They're just smart to have going to any third world country.


Malaria - Fortunately this is an oral medication that you take either once a day while we're there or once a week depending on which one you get. On past teams I've been involved with most people have taken these pills. The only common side effect I've heard of is vivid dreams, which could be cool unless you're prone to nightmares! A few considerations though...for most of our trip we will be in the south which is not a high-risk area and in the desert, plus August will be winter in the southern hemisphere so I'd be surprised if you even see a mosquito. If you feel the need, just use bug spray and wear long sleeves at night and you should be fine. So these meds are up to you and may fall into the "better safe than sorry" category.


Diarrhea - Nobody really wants to talk about it, but we'll be practically family by the time we're through so as a team we can be open about this stuff. Reality is this is usually the biggest issue team members have while we're traveling. Between time zone changes and dietary differences there's a lot for your body to get used to. The best thing to do in this case is NOT to take anti-diarrhea meds and plug up your system, but simply drink lots of water and let it flush itself out of your system. 


HIV/AIDS - This will only be a concern to the uneducated family member. Unless you're planning to have sex or become a blood-brother/sister with somebody (both of which are restricted according to team policy), you have absolutely nothing to worry about.


Last but not least, we are working on getting travel insurance to cover each of our team members while we're away, so it's not something you need to worry about. This is already included in the cost of the trip. Overall Namibia is a great place to visit where heath is concerned. Just be smart about things like staying hydrated with plenty of water, looking BOTH ways before you step into the street, and not doing anything foolish where you could get injured. As they say, prevention is the best medicine.

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