Hepatitis, Encephalitis, and Typhoid Oh My!
I have made an appointment at the Middle Tennessee Clinic For International Travel on Feb. 25. That's the earliest appointment I could book but I was told it will be in plenty of time for my departure in late March.
The list and costs are getting long now. The office visit is normally $75 but is lowered to $20 for anyone going over to help with tsunami aid. Here's where it gets expensive: Hepatitis A $75, Hepatitis B $70, Japanese Encephalitis $97, Yellow Fever $89, Typhoid $65, plus an anti-malarial medication which will be over $100. That list easily tops $500 and could be increased by hundreds more if I have to get the Hepatitis shots in stages. The nice lady on the phones wasn't too sure of all the options, but was told Dr. Osborne and I will work out the best method for me. The typhoid immunization can be taken orally but no such luck with the others. I was fortunate enough to have sliced open my hand a few years ago so my tetanus shot has been covered. These immunizations are definitely more expensive than I had imagined which makes you really appreciate our health care system and facilities we have in place.
I was contacted by a fellow Global Crossroad volunteer yesterday named Bob who is leaving on Feb. 19th. (*Bob, if you're out there your email address bounced back when I tried to reply so lets try it again.) Since he will be there before me I'm hoping to hear from him once he's in-country to learn of some local needs that I may be able to help with by bringing along an extra check-in piece of luggage. My family is anxious to put together a goody-bag of supplies for local children or whatever the need may be. I only need 1 bag for myself so it's almost silly to go that far without bringing an extra bag filled with some Tennessee care.
-Chris
The list and costs are getting long now. The office visit is normally $75 but is lowered to $20 for anyone going over to help with tsunami aid. Here's where it gets expensive: Hepatitis A $75, Hepatitis B $70, Japanese Encephalitis $97, Yellow Fever $89, Typhoid $65, plus an anti-malarial medication which will be over $100. That list easily tops $500 and could be increased by hundreds more if I have to get the Hepatitis shots in stages. The nice lady on the phones wasn't too sure of all the options, but was told Dr. Osborne and I will work out the best method for me. The typhoid immunization can be taken orally but no such luck with the others. I was fortunate enough to have sliced open my hand a few years ago so my tetanus shot has been covered. These immunizations are definitely more expensive than I had imagined which makes you really appreciate our health care system and facilities we have in place.
I was contacted by a fellow Global Crossroad volunteer yesterday named Bob who is leaving on Feb. 19th. (*Bob, if you're out there your email address bounced back when I tried to reply so lets try it again.) Since he will be there before me I'm hoping to hear from him once he's in-country to learn of some local needs that I may be able to help with by bringing along an extra check-in piece of luggage. My family is anxious to put together a goody-bag of supplies for local children or whatever the need may be. I only need 1 bag for myself so it's almost silly to go that far without bringing an extra bag filled with some Tennessee care.
-Chris
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