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Katie26
Joined: 06 Jan 2009
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 Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 1:58 am Post subject: Tuberculosis Vaccine-Can I get it in Korea? |
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Hey all!
I've just been to my Docs to start my vaccines for Korea (Typhoid and Hep A and B) but I think it might also be a good idea to get immunised against TB as I'll be working with children.
I don't have time to do this in the UK now (I'm a little concerned about doing it b4 my health check anyway as it's a live virus) So I have two questions really
Who of you have had it done?
Can I get it done when I'm in S.Korea?
Thanks again  |
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Harpeau
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Location: Coquitlam, BC
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| Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 2:04 am Post subject: |
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| Can you really be "immunised" from TB? Some are exposed to it, and need to get profilaxed. Others are infected with it. TB is big in N. Korea. Uncertain about the south. Ask your doctor. |
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Katie26
Joined: 06 Jan 2009
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| Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 2:10 am Post subject: |
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Hi,
I'm unsure what Profilaxed means but I did ask my Doctor and she said that I didn't have the time to complete the vaccines before I leave hence why I'm asking if I can get it in Korea when I get there.
You can get immunised against TB in the form of a BCG jab in the UK but I'm unsure if the same thing is available in Korea. Thanks |
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ulsanchris
Joined: 19 Jun 2003
Location: take a wild guess
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| Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 2:42 am Post subject: |
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| Aren't vaccines used only against potential viral infections?. Furthermore isn't TB treated with antibiotics which do nothing against viruses? So then how can you get a vaccine for TB. Or are some of my assumptions wrong? |
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Katie26
Joined: 06 Jan 2009
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| Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 2:56 am Post subject: |
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Hi Chris
I'll be in Ulsan too  .
I'm not really sure about the med side all I know is that you can get a BCG vaccine when you're in the UK to protect against TB but as I'm leaving in 4 weeks there is not enough time to do it...
I think I'll just have to get there and then see if I can find it anywhere. Thanks |
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kimuchiii
Joined: 02 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 6:19 am Post subject: |
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TB is the thing that concerns me most about S.Korea from Wikipedia:
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| The protective efficacy of BCG for preventing serious forms of TB (e.g. meningitis) in children is greater than 80%; its protective efficacy for preventing pulmonary TB in adolescents and adults is variable, ranging from 0 to 80%.[51] |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuberculosis
What's scary is the part about transmission especially since people often spit in public in S.Korea (from what I've read here   )
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| When people suffering from active pulmonary TB cough, sneeze, speak, or spit, they expel infectious aerosol droplets 0.5 to 5 �m in diameter. A single sneeze can release up to 40,000 droplets.[20] Each one of these droplets may transmit the disease, since the infectious dose of tuberculosis is very low and the inhalation of just a single bacterium can cause a new infection. |
It also looked like from the page that if you *do* get the vaccine that you may show up false-positive for a TB test. Has anyone gotten the vaccine and taken a TB test for their job in S.Korea? |
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Wisconsinite
Joined: 05 Jan 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 10:57 am Post subject: |
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I may be wrong but I think I just read in a magazine that in the US we don't do TB immunizations because of the fact that for the rest of your life you come up positive in a TB test. That can preclude you from working in schools, community centers, with the elderly, hospitals....and the like.
I don't know about the UK but I would check into it before getting the innoculation.
I went to my travel doctor and she reccomended several shots and TB was not one of them. |
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skconqueror
Joined: 31 Jul 2005
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| Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 4:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Wisconsinite wrote: |
I may be wrong but I think I just read in a magazine that in the US we don't do TB immunizations because of the fact that for the rest of your life you come up positive in a TB test. That can preclude you from working in schools, community centers, with the elderly, hospitals....and the like.
I don't know about the UK but I would check into it before getting the innoculation.
I went to my travel doctor and she reccomended several shots and TB was not one of them. |
I had a TB immunization before coming to Korea, and have worked at a public school for several contracts and have done multiple medical checks no problem. |
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