Let Us Help You | Preparing - Health, Insurance & Vaccinations

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Let Us Help You | Preparing - Health, Insurance & Vaccinations

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Blog Team Friends Travel Vietnam • Sep 17, 2020

Being healthy during your travels and returning home healthy is important for everyone. Travelling to Asia can be exciting and a bit frightening at the same time. When you prepare for your trip in an appropriate way, you are ruling out most issues you might come across. Start planning your vaccinations in time, since some vaccines require more than one shot over the course of a few weeks. Make sure you prepare well for your trip, so that besides a cold and a dose of travellers’ diarrhea, you get back home in good health.

Insurance

We consider adequate travel insurance to be essential. Please read your policy details carefully and take them with you on holiday.

It is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance cover your purchase and is suitable, adequate for your particular needs. we do everything possible to ensure a safe and enjoyable trip. However, travel inevitably involves some risk and this should be recognised by holiday-makers. Travel insurance is a cost effective way of protecting yourself and your equipment should any problems occur such as cancelled trips, delays, medical emergencies, baggage loss or damage. It also gives you peace of mind. Please also make sure your travel insurance covers all activities planned on your trip.

Vaccinations

Required

If you went seven days before your arrival in Vietnam to Africa or Southern America, you must get a vaccine against yellow fever. There are further no vaccinations required if you want to go to Vietnam, but there are some recommended.

Recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO)

It is recommended to take a DTP vaccination. DTP stands for diphtheria, tetanus and polio. Outside Europe or the US there is a higher risk of catching one of the diseases mentioned before. They also advises on taking a hepatitis A and B vaccination. You can get infected by hepatitis A from eating food washed in contaminated water, or drinking contaminated water. For more accurate and extensive information on vaccinations see a doctor or visit aspecialized travel clinic.

Longer terms

If you stay longer than two weeks, it’s advisable to get a vaccine against typhoid and rabies. Also consider looking at meningitis & Japanese B encephalitis. Adults should have a tuberculosis test before and after travel.

Malaria and Dengue

There is a big presence of mosquitoes in the tropics. This can be really tedious, but when you protect yourself sufficiently this shouldn’t be a big concern. In urban areas the Aedes mosquito can carry the dengue virus, but currently there is no vaccine against dengue fever. Malaria is – like dengue - a disease transmitted by a mosquito (Anopheles). There is no vaccine against malaria. It is possible to take preventive medication. Please read the information leaflet carefully and take a close look into the side effects of the medication you are taking. Some antimalarial medication has very severe side effects.

Note: Not every mosquito bite means you will get infected right away.

As a matter of fact most mosquitoes are not carrying dengue or malaria. If you get fever, it is advisable to see a doctor (preferably within 24 hours) so they can conduct a simple test, to determine whether you are infected with malaria or dengue and prescribe adequate medication. In many places in the country there is a very small to no risk of malaria and dengue. Please consult a travel clinic or your doctor for further information on malaria and dengue. The best protection against these two diseases is preventing yourself from getting bitten by mosquitoes. There are a few, very effective measures. Wear long sleeve shirts, trousers and socks. Especially later in the afternoon and in the evenings mosquitoes get active, cover up, so you won’t get bitten. Use insect repellents such as DEET. When staying in an area with many mosquitoes sleep under a, preferably impregnated, mosquito net.

Pregnant Women

First of all, congratulations with your pregnancy, but before you want to travel, you should know something about traveling to Vietnam.

There has been an outbreak of Zika virus in South and Central America in 2014. The virus is transmitted via an infected mosquito, the so-called tiger mosquito.

What does it mean?

Three quarters of people who are infected have no symptoms. If there are symptoms it feels like a flu with higher temperatures, muscle and head pain. The symptoms can last for 2-7 days and the time between getting infected and getting sick varies from 2 to 12 days.

Pregnant and Zika Virus

Getting infected with the Zika virus can lead to an increased risk of abnormalities in the unborn child. That’s why it’s recommended to:

Pregnant women and women who want to become pregnant during or just after traveling to a country where Zika virus occurs, are advised to discuss the necessity of the trip with a doctor and travel that is not necessarily postponed. In addition to zika, mosquitoes in (sub) tropical locations also transmit other diseases such as dengue, malaria, yellow fever and chikungunya. These too are undesirable during pregnancy.
Report a recent visit to a country where the zika virus prevails during the regular checks at your midwife or doctor. Particularly if within two weeks after return complaints occur that match an infection caused by the zika virus.
Women who want to become pregnant are advised to postpone this until after one month after returning from a country where the zika virus prevails. In the meantime, use a condom or other contraception for sexual contact. Note: for men returning from the area where zika virus occurs, a delay period of two months applies, see below.
Men who have been in countries where the zika virus prevails and have a pregnant woman are advised as a precaution to use a condom for sexual contact until two months after returning. This also applies to men who have had no complaints.

Note: It’s recommended to not go to Vietnam when you’re pregnant, but it is your decision if you want to take the risk.

TIPS

Never drink water from the tap. Drink bottled water and check if the bottle is sealed.
Wash your hands before you start eating.
Drink enough water, especially when it’s hot.
Protect yourself from the sun. Use sunscreen, a hat and cover up with clothes.
Rather set the temperature of your room’s air conditioner to 26°C instead of 18°C, this will reduce your chances of getting a cold.
When eating, drinking and looking after your own health, using common sense is the best medicine.

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