China travel vaccinations for China adoption travel

China travel vaccinations are an important part of your preparations for China adoption travel.

China is fast becoming a major industrialized nation, which, like the US, has many public health concerns.

Some of those concerns are similar to the US, such as the spread of hepatitis, tuberculosis, diphtheria, measles, influenza, HIV, and many other communicable diseases.

Unlike the US, China still battles diseases such malaria as well as those caused by parasites.

Tuberculosis and Hepatitis A are more prevalent in China. Yet, these are on the rise in the US, in part, because of the increased influx of immigrants from developing countries.

While there are no required China travel vaccinations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends several vaccinations to help ensure healthy travel to China.

Recommended China Travel Vaccinations

• Hepatitis A: The Hepatitis A virus is transmitted directly from person to person and contaminated foods such as ice, shellfish, fruit, vegetables or other uncooked food. This vaccination is now recommended along with other childhood vaccinations for US citizens as well as those traveling to China.

• Hepatitis B: The Hepatitis B virus is transmitted via blood or other body fluids, sexual contact, or medical treatment. It can also be transmitted from mother to biological baby. The CDC recommends the Hepatitis B vaccine for “all infants and for children ages 11–12 years who did not receive the series as infants.” (1) Therefore, your new baby will more than likely receive the Hepatitis B vaccine series once you return to the US.

As far as the parents are concerned, I am in agreement with the CDC. I recommend the Hepatitis B vaccine as part of your China travel vaccinations. I received the series as an adult because I am a health care professional so I had no need to repeat them for my China travel vaccinations.

However, consider that you will be traveling to another country. Your guides will take wonderful care of every detail of your China adoption travel. Yet, there is no way to predict if you will need medical attention during your China adoption travel. Heaven forbid tragedy should strike, but it only takes one prick of an infected needle to become infected yourself.

• Japanese encephalitis: This is recommended mostly for those visiting rural or farming areas. It is unlikely you will travel to these areas for your adoption.

• Malaria: There are no vaccinations for malaria. However, if you are visiting an area known to harbor malaria, you can take anti-malarial drugs as a preventative. Check with your adoption agency to confirm if you will travel to one of these areas. This is unlikely because many times the babies are brought to the larger cities from the rural areas to meet their new parents. If the parents do travel to the orphanages, the visits are usually confined to a short period of time.

• Rabies: This vaccination is recommended for those traveling to rural areas and those who will be handling animals. This is not usually a concern for China adoption travel.

• Typhoid: This disease is contracted by eating food or drinking water that is contaminated or has been handled by a person who is infected with typhoid. This, again, was not a concern for us during our China adoption travel. We never ate food from street vendors and only ate at restaurants recommended by our guides.

• Boosters for measles and tetanus-diphtheria.

Prevention of Infection

• One of the best preventions for contracting communicable diseases is making sure your childhood vaccinations are up to date. Even as an adult, it is not too late to catch up on vaccinations. You can receive them in conjunction with your China travel vaccinations. Check with your health care provider for a schedule.

• Other ways to stay healthy are washing hands frequently with soap or an alcohol based product if no soap is available. Many of us in our travel group carried antibacterial wipes and hand washes. These were great for traveling because they were portable.

• Also, only drink bottled or boiled water. Sometimes the hotel will provide complimentary bottles of water, but they are also readily available from local stores. Your guided can recommended the best brands.

Along the lines of avoiding drinking the water, I learned a little tip from a fellow adoptive parent. Be sure to keep your mouth and lips closed in the shower. I would have never thought to do that if she had not told me. Apparently, even ingesting a small amount of tap water can be enough to make you sick.

• Don’t eat food from street vendors. Make sure your food is thoroughly cooked. Again, your guides will take you to the best restaurants so this should not be a problem. If you want to venture out on your own, make sure you get restaurant recommendations from your guides first.

• Avoid drinks with ice. This was never really a problem for us in China. It seems that drinking beverages with ice is not common in China anyway.

• Other sources of infections such as handling animals or visiting poultry farms are not really relevant to your China adoption travel.

For a more in depth discussion of China travel vaccinations, visit the CDC’s website.

Return to www.china-adoption-threads.com

References: (1) http://www.cdc.gov/travel/eastasia.htm#vaccines