Do you get a Hepatitis shot before going to the Caribbean?

[MarkSeattle]

agreed. everyone should just get this done now that they're available.

 

getting hep A is pretty easy with uncooked food in some areas, and there's about a 10% chance of hep B turning chronic last time I saw the stats (some time ago...)

 

and they are lifetime vaccinations, like MMR, once you get through the series (although healthcare workers directly exposed to blood and other pathogens get boosters every 5 years or so). They weren't around when many of us were growing up, but that's not a reason to not get them now.

[nbsjcruiser]

My family doctor said we should get ourselves and the kids Hep A & B shots before our cruise (going in August to Mexico, Belize and Hondorus). Just wondering how many others get theirs before travelling to these areas?

 

I did - they're good for 10 years. I did it mainly to protect me on land but nasty things can happen in in clean areas too, i.e. someone handling food who has hepatitis - this can happen at your local restaurant.

[DreadPirateRobert]

My family doctor said we should get ourselves and the kids Hep A & B shots before our cruise (going in August to Mexico, Belize and Hondorus). Just wondering how many others get theirs before travelling to these areas?

 

If your family physician went to college, 4 years of medical school, did a residency and is board certified to practice medicene don't you think his opinion is more valuable than that of random people on the internet?

[arush5268d]

If your family physician went to college, 4 years of medical school, did a residency and is board certified to practice medicene don't you think his opinion is more valuable than that of random people on the internet?

 

Nope. If someone says it on the internet it must be true.

[saturnsc]

I've been to all three of those ports, and some others and have never gotten any shots prior to departure but, I do buy cruise insurance just in case. :cool:

[biksgirl]

If your family physician went to college, 4 years of medical school, did a residency and is board certified to practice medicene don't you think his opinion is more valuable than that of random people on the internet?

 

 

I don't know if you went to college or not, but if you did, you should have paid more attention in English class. I never asked "should I listen to my doctor and get the shot?"

 

anyways....for everyone else, thanks for letting me know if you did or didn't get the shots. I'm also glad by bringing this up, some people who never even thought of getting them, can now get some information on it. :)

[Baystate]

There may be few vaccines that may be advised when traveling and not getting them because the place is beautiful, the people are friendly and no one else is getting one may be fool-hardy. People don't realize they may need a Typhoid shot too. Check out the country you are visiting here.

 

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/list.aspx

[danysmom]

My family doctor said we should get ourselves and the kids Hep A & B shots before our cruise (going in August to Mexico, Belize and Hondorus). Just wondering how many others get theirs before travelling to these areas?

 

I had all of my shots through my employer, but I did get them for my daughter when I took her on her first cruise in 2006. Better safe than not.:)

[lilylight]

My whole family got theirs, kids in Canada get theirs automatically when they are in grade 6. You can get Hep b from water, icecubes or even stepping on a piece of glass in the Carribean. Better safe than sorry:o

 

You can not get Hepatitis B from water or ice cubes it is primarily transmitted via bodily fluids (blood, semen etc.) via sexual intercourse, IV drug use (activites of that nature). Getting it from stepping on a piece of glass would be a very long shot unless it had some infected bodily fluids on it and then it somehow came in contact with your blood stream pretty soon afterwards. Perhaps you are confusing it with Hep A which can be passed on via improper food handling, poor sanitation practices.

[lilylight]

If your family physician went to college, 4 years of medical school, did a residency and is board certified to practice medicene don't you think his opinion is more valuable than that of random people on the internet?

Their is nothing wrong with asking others what they've done in a similar situation. Doesn't mean she doesn't value her doctors opinion maybe she's just interested in others thoughts. It is very common (and encouraged) to not simply blindly trust your doctors opinion. Seeking out more information and advice of others, be it professional or lay persons, is a good thing, knowledge is power.

[DreadPirateRobert]

I don't know if you went to college or not, but if you did, you should have paid more attention in English class. I never asked "should I listen to my doctor and get the shot?"

 

anyways....for everyone else, thanks for letting me know if you did or didn't get the shots. I'm also glad by bringing this up, some people who never even thought of getting them, can now get some information on it. :)

 

Wow, thanks for putting me in my place.

I'm a nurse who often sees the bad outcomes from people not listening to their physicians because of something they read on the net.

And for the record, we have the shots.

[kyrisong1]

Oh wow how about some facts? Hep B CAN be spread on ice and in food because it lives on hands for hours, surfaces for days. It can be spread almost on anything that the virus has touched.

Why shouldn't everyone eligible for the inoculations get them?

The cases of Hepatitis in the US is huge and believe me you know someone that has it, even if you're not aware of it.

Immunize your kids and yourselves too, why would anyone even hesitate? :confused:

Q: Can hepatitis A virus live outside the body on common household surfaces?

 

A: Yes. Hepatitis A virus is able to survive for several hours on human hands and several days on environmental surfaces indoors. High temperatures, such as boiling or cooking food or liquids for at least 1 minute at 185°F (85°C), kill the virus, although freezing temperatures do not.

 

 

Q: Can a person have hepatitis B virus without having symptoms?

 

A: Yes. In fact, a person can be infected with hepatitis B and spread it to someone else. Symptoms of hepatitis B may not develop for a few weeks to months after the infection occurs. Some people are chronically infected and can spread the disease.Q: Can hepatitis A virus live outside the body on common household surfaces?

 

A: Yes. Hepatitis A virus is able to survive for several hours on human hands and several days on environmental surfaces indoors. High temperatures, such as boiling or cooking food or liquids for at least 1 minute at 185°F (85°C), kill the virus, although freezing temperatures do not.

 

 

Q: Can a person have hepatitis B virus without having symptoms?

 

A: Yes. In fact, a person can be infected with hepatitis B and spread it to someone else. Symptoms of hepatitis B may not develop for a few weeks to months after the infection occurs. Some people are chronically infected and can spread the disease.

[kyrisong1]

If your family physician went to college, 4 years of medical school, did a residency and is board certified to practice medicene don't you think his opinion is more valuable than that of random people on the internet?

Can you give me an AMEN????

You are right on target DPR!!!

[MOHAVE]

the hep b series is actually 3 vaccines given over a 6 month time period. so if your cruise is in august, its already too late. u could start the series, which would be time for the 1st 2 shots, but u don't have full immunity until u receive the 3rd shot.

For completely different considerations, my 3rd Hep B vac will be just before my first cruise. Being a military kid, I have all other shots as a child.

[winddawn]

You can not get Hepatitis B from water or ice cubes it is primarily transmitted via bodily fluids (blood, semen etc.) via sexual intercourse, IV drug use (activites of that nature). Getting it from stepping on a piece of glass would be a very long shot unless it had some infected bodily fluids on it and then it somehow came in contact with your blood stream pretty soon afterwards. Perhaps you are confusing it with Hep A which can be passed on via improper food handling, poor sanitation practices.

And you might add tatoos and body piercings to your list of likely means of transmission....

[UFQ202]

I got the whole family both series and told all our friends they needed them too. Well one of our friend's decided he didn't want the shot. Right before his wedding he got sick and passed out at work. The security guard found him unconsicous and called 911. He was in the hospital for Hep A. He was orange in all his wedding pictures and missed his Honeymoon CRUISE!!:eek: Now he gets to worry about his health the rest of his life. I realize no immunization can be fun but why take a chance with your life. He found out later a worker at a well know fast food place had it. Oh yea I am a nurse and a retired Navy Corpsman.

[jtmalt]

Oh wow how about some facts? Hep B CAN be spread on ice and in food because it lives on hands for hours, surfaces for days. It can be spread almost on anything that the virus has touched.

 

Facts? I don't know where you're quoting your "facts" from, but here it is straight from the CDC (you can view it on the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HBV/HBVfaq.htm ). It clearly states that Hep B is NOT transmitted via casual contact.

 

----------------------------------------

How is HBV transmitted?

 

HBV is transmitted through activities that involve percutaneous (i.e., puncture through the skin) or mucosal contact with infectious blood or body fluids (e.g., semen, saliva), including

 

• Sex with an infected partner
  
• Injection drug use that involves sharing needles, syringes, or drug-preparation equipment
  
• Birth to an infected mother
  
• Contact with blood or open sores of an infected person
  
• Needle sticks or sharp instrument exposures
  
• Sharing items such as razors or toothbrushes with an infected person
  

HBV is not spread through food or water, sharing eating utensils, breastfeeding, hugging, kissing, hand holding, coughing, or sneezing.

[lilylight]

Oh wow how about some facts? Hep B CAN be spread on ice and in food because it lives on hands for hours, surfaces for days. It can be spread almost on anything that the virus has touched.

Why shouldn't everyone eligible for the inoculations get them?

The cases of Hepatitis in the US is huge and believe me you know someone that has it, even if you're not aware of it.

Immunize your kids and yourselves too, why would anyone even hesitate? :confused:

Q: Can hepatitis A virus live outside the body on common household surfaces?

 

A: Yes. Hepatitis A virus is able to survive for several hours on human hands and several days on environmental surfaces indoors. High temperatures, such as boiling or cooking food or liquids for at least 1 minute at 185°F (85°C), kill the virus, although freezing temperatures do not.

 

 

Q: Can a person have hepatitis B virus without having symptoms?

 

A: Yes. In fact, a person can be infected with hepatitis B and spread it to someone else. Symptoms of hepatitis B may not develop for a few weeks to months after the infection occurs. Some people are chronically infected and can spread the disease.

 

Thanks for the "facts" however Hepatitis A, B, and for that matter C are not interchangeable. They are each 3 entirely different diseases, with different modes of transmissions, and prognosis that happen to share the word hepatitis as part of their name based on the fact that they all cause some sort of inflammation to the liver. So copying and pasting information about one and then about another is not really useful in your trying to say that Hep B is passed through water and ice cubes. It's not.

 

Hepatitis A is transmitted through infected fecal matter and therefore if a person who is infected with Hep A is handling your food or ice or anything else for that matter and does not wash their hands properly after using the bathroom then, yes ,they can pass it on to others. Most cases of Hep A are mild and some people even catch it, feel sick, get over it and never even know that they had it. Hep A is not a chronic disease which means that, like many other viruses, you catch it, you get ill (in rare cases there can be severe complications and even death) and then you get over it. Once you are over it you can no longer transmit it to others, in fact once you have it you will then have lifelong immunity to it. Sort of like chicken pox where you catch it, get sick from it, are contagious during that short period and then are over it (and get lifelong immunity to boot).

 

Hepatitis B (and C) are considered chronic illnesses that can lead to more serious damage (ie. liver cancer, cirrhosis, etc) and are carried in the blood and other bodily fluids. Hep B is not transmitted the same way as Hep A as you can see from the list of transmission modes that jtmalt posted from the CDC. So, yes, as the "fact" that you copied and pasted says, a person with Hep B could be infected and unknowingly pass it to others. However, the way in which they pass it on would not be through food or ice cubes or water. They would have to pass it on through one of the modes of transmissions listed (ie. sex, iv drug use, dirty tattoo equipment etc).

 

I find that there is a lot of confusion between the 3 but most times when you hear a person say "so and so has hepatitis" they are referring to Hep B or C because it is generally something that once contracted you will be a carrier of for life. Unless a person was actively sick with Hep A then normally it is something you have for a short time and then are over it. People dont go around saying "hey did you know JoeShmoe has Chicken pox" 5 years after he had it b/c it's no longer a concern to others. Same with Hep A.

 

No where am I saying that a person should not get the vaccines if available. I personally think everyone should do their own research, talk to their doctor, look at their own risk factors, ask others what their experiences have been and then decide from there if the vaccine is something they're interested in. Just b/c it is available does not neccesarily mean everyone would want it.

 

As far as the OP question I personally did not get either before cruising however I can see the rationale behind someone considering the Hep A vaccine before a cruise based on the fact that perhaps your chances of catching it might be increased based solely on the fact that unlike at home where you prepare most of your own food, on a cruise you don't. You dont know how well others are washing their hands or cleaning food prep areas etc. But you could also use this same rationale if you eat out a lot (or ever) if things like this concern you which is why a cruise would not be the deciding factor for me. As for the Hep B series I wouldnt think a cruise in and of itself would be a deciding factor in whether I got that vaccine b/c I cant see how taking a cruise would put you at anymore risk of catching it than your every day life. jmo.

[Tara&Jas]

Yes, our family all got our Hep A&B shots before cruising :) We were able to try lots of different local food/fruit etc. on our trip without worrying about it.

 

Plus as others have mentioned it is great to have the shots for eating out at home as well. I can remember quite a few news reports over the years saying if you ate at "___________ local restaurant" between these dates go see your doctor.

 

A close friend of mine ended up getting Hep B and he was sooo sick for sooo long (months)... says he wouldn't wish it on his worst enemy.

 

Regarding not having enough time to get all the shots before your August cruise... we were told that after your second shot you are good to go, the third is a booster to make sure... but you will be fine after only having two. :)

 

As for getting one over the other, don't most people get the Twinrix vaccine which is both Hep A&B vaccines at once?

 

Another thing to think about would be what if the worst happened and you ended up in hospital or emerg dentist on one of these islands... I would definitely be worrying about contracting Hep B then for sure.

[RossTheBoss]

My wife and I have had the Twinrix shots. It just seemed like the common sense thing to do - rendering Hep A&B as avoided health issues.

 

Check out this link to a Twinrix website. I hadn't realized even getting a haircut puts you at risk -- particularly in countries where Hep A is always present.

[pe4all]

Our kids were not allowed in school without getting the whole series of hep shots. (law) As a teacher, my employer paid for my hep c shots, as I come in daily contact with body fluids. But I don't think I would go out of my way to get the shots for cruising purposes.

[msseasailor]

Just want to add to the conversation. Don't be fooled into thinking just because you have received these vaccinations that you are all set. There have been many people who did not seroconvert after getting all 3 doses. Some people have even needed the entire series over again. Whe I was working in a childrens residential program we had all kids tested for Hep A,B and C even if they had received the vaccinations as required by law. (In MASS at the time Hep B vac was required.) Approx 30% of those tested had not built up antibodies to Hep B and needed series again. Also a couple of writers put that they are nurses but remember that doesn't mean everything they say medically should be beleived, I am a nurse as well and I would hope that people didn't just blindly take what I say as facts!!!! Anyone can be wrong, please research the info and get the newest recommendations etc. Also remember as far as your doctors go, not all have the most up to date info on everything, as an example, a dermatologist prob does not keep up with the most up to date research etc. on Diabetes.

[amc80]

Tetnus shot/booster is not a bad idea either (IMHO).

 

My tetanus shot "expired" about 2 years ago. I asked my doc about getting a booster, and she said that my insurance wouldn't cover it unless there was an incident. Plus, if I happened to step on a rusty nail or something, they would give me a booster regardless...so that's what I get for trying to be preventative. :rolleyes:

[jks336]

If your family physician went to college, 4 years of medical school, did a residency and is board certified to practice medicene don't you think his opinion is more valuable than that of random people on the internet?

 

the poster was only asking how many ppl got the shots before traveling to these areas. even though i have no plan of getting the shots myself, i've read posts before that its not a bad idea to have them. doesnt guarantee 100% but does give you better odds of not getting anything.

[Tara&Jas]

Our kids were not allowed in school without getting the whole series of hep shots. (law) As a teacher, my employer paid for my hep c shots, as I come in daily contact with body fluids. But I don't think I would go out of my way to get the shots for cruising purposes.

 

 

I think you mean that your employer paid for your "hep b shots" - there is no vaccine for hep c.