Get Vaccinated Before Your Vacation
Vacations are a time for well-deserved rest and relaxation. More than 19 million Poles take vacations each year, both staying in the country and traveling abroad. Many of us will visit the Baltic coast or Tatra Mountains, others will spend time on the Mediterranean Sea and quite a few holiday makers will be visiting faraway exotic countries. Unfortunately, we rarely think about the threats to our health lurking out there in the world. In order to return from vacation with only souvenirs and wonderful memories we should first protect ourselves by getting vaccinated, primarily against infectious hepatitis (viral hepatitis A) and inoculated hepatitis (viral hepatitis B).
Even the most comfortable travel conditions and following basic principles of hygiene do not guarantee our safety. Infectious hepatitis can be contracted even in the best hotel or exclusive restaurant. You can be infected by simply washing your hands in contaminated water or by incidental contact with a person who has but shows no symptoms of the disease. A mere ice cube, made from contaminated water, in a delicious-looking drink can be a source of infection. Even the Mazurian lake district, the Tatras and the Baltic are not completely safe. Large groups of people, high temperatures and an absence of basic principles of hygiene create a danger of becoming ill, as do eating unwashed fruit and vegetables, meat not fully cooked, and drinking non-pasteurized milk. And who isn’t tempted by a regional delicacy from a roadside stand or fish on a paper plate from a seaside fry house?
We not only eat differently during vacations, but we also spend more time caring for our looks. We tend to visit beauty salons, barber shops and even tattoo parlors more often than usual in the summer. According to research conducted by the Journal of Travel Medicine, 28.8% of people traveling underwent cosmetic procedures that carried a potential risk of breaking the skin and being infected with viral hepatitis B. Sexual contact is also a way of contracting viral hepatitis B. Physicians will tell you that anyone can contract viral hepatitis.
Therefore, we should all avoid these threats and get vaccinated. In order to be fully protected against viral hepatitis A and B, in accordance with the established procedure, three doses are administered, the second one month after the first injection and the third six months after the first dose. We become immune only 4 weeks after receiving the first dose. Therefore it is never too late to protect yourself during the long summer and enjoy a safe vacation.
Everyone already vaccinated against viral hepatitis B should also be vaccinated against viral hepatitis A. The second dose of the vaccine should be taken 6-12 months following the first dose. The first dose of the vaccine assures immunity after two weeks.
Those vaccinated against viral hepatitis A should be vaccinated against viral hepatitis B before traveling – two doses are administered one month before your departure and the third six months following the first dose and therefore after returning from vacation.
Other than vaccinations against viral hepatitis, we should also remember about other vaccinations, both required and recommended, when traveling to other parts of the world. Detailed information about vaccinations is available at regional epidemic and hygiene centers (Stacje Sanitarno-Epidemiologiczne). In order to obtain the proper immunity, a vaccination should be administered 4-6 weeks before any planned trip, after consulting with your physician. A detailed list of recommended vaccinations, by country of destination, is included in the enclosure.