half a dozen Posted November 6, 2008 Share Posted November 6, 2008 Hi All We fly to Perth via Singapore on 17th November, we are stoppoing in Singapore for 3 nights. We have been told today by the practice nurse that unless we eat in a very good hotel, we will need to have the Hepatitus A jab. We are stopping on a room only basis so will be eating in restaurants, cafes etc although my kids are not exactly adventurous when it comes to tasting new things. Has anyone else had this jab? If so does it have side affects as they can only fit us in 2 days before we travel. Any help would be gratefully appreciated, thanks, Carrie. :huh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minlady Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Personally i think your practice nurse is being a 'little over zealous'... Singapore is a top notch country... you are more likely to get Hep A in Greece than Singapore...lol however... if you are worried it's a small jab with hardly any side effects...more likely to be site soreness than anything.. it is not 100% effective and only lasts a short time.... and you will need boosters... Personally i wouldn't bother!! hope that helps and have a good trip min x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fatpom Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Hi All We fly to Perth via Singapore on 17th November, we are stoppoing in Singapore for 3 nights. We have been told today by the practice nurse that unless we eat in a very good hotel, we will need to have the Hepatitus A jab. We are stopping on a room only basis so will be eating in restaurants, cafes etc although my kids are not exactly adventurous when it comes to tasting new things. Has anyone else had this jab? If so does it have side affects as they can only fit us in 2 days before we travel. Any help would be gratefully appreciated, thanks, Carrie. :huh: Singapore is a "first world country" but you shouldn't travel to any country without first having Hep A jabs. Its foolish to think that any hotel anywhere can protect you from Hep A. The best advice I've been given is eat what the locals eat. Most likely to be fresh as its "fast moving goods". However I doubt this advice is relevant to Hep A anyway. Get the jabs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gollywobbler Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Hiya There is a high incidence of Hepatitis in the Far East generally, including Singapore. You are unlikely to come to any harm if you don't bother with it but I suspect that your nurse may be involved in treating the one-in-a-million patient who has gone to Singapore or thereabouts and has picked up a Hep A infection. Why not ask her why she is offering this unusual advice? The FCO seem to think there is more of a risk of Dengue Fever (similar to Malaria) than of Hep A? You might catch Dengue if you spend a few days on a rubber plantation or your hotel window opens on to a river or open monsoon drain, where the mozzies breed, but in practice they spray all the drains with DDT or similar, which kills all the bugs. Singapore Best wishes Gill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docboat Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Her advice is quite wrong. Feel free to tell her so. On the other hand, it makes good sense to have a reasonable vaccination protection, and Hep A (and B) belong in that recommendation. But Singapore has no need of any "special" precautions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docboat Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Oh BTW, Hep A lasts 18 months with one jab, so boost it at 6 months, and you have about 10 years of cover. Do it with Hep B at same time and you are done and dusted for preventable hepatitis. Protection is excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fatpom Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Also as general info. Treat your local nurse with suspicion when he or she gives you advice. On one occasion I was being given advice from one nurse on malaria areas... when she quoted Andean Bolivia I knew the woman was clueless. On another occasion another nurse said I didn't need Hep B unless I intended to have "**** s*x with another man" which I confessed wasn't on the travel itinery. Found out later bed bugs are vectors for Hep B and since we were roughing it was a real risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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