Job Discussion Forums

[Kesavah]

I've just come back from the travel clinic and the nurse could not give me a straight answer on whether I need a japanese encephalitis vaccination or not. Anyone else have some better info for me? Did you get this before you came or not?

Thanks!

[ls650]

Before I went to Indonesia I was also advised to get the Japanese encephalitis vaccine. It's quite expensive, but I thought the clinic wouldn't ask to take something I didn't need.

Once I arrived In Indonesia I asked around, and was told by doctors in Jakarta that JE was very rare in populated areas, and that they knew of no one catching this in Jakarta.

[gugelhupf]

This is the (much abridged) version from the UK Department of Health:

JE is present rurally throughout much of Indonesia in areas of rice paddy. Those planning to stay in rural areas where rice is cultivated in the wet paddy system are advised to obtain vaccination against this disease. The disease is not present in large centres of population in the islands of Java, Sumatra and Bali as the disease vector - a tick - is absent from such urban habitats.

I chose not to have that particular vaccine as it is the one most certain to make you sick for a couple of days afterwards! If I was going to live out in the sticks I might consider it. I'd certainly never let my Hep A and typhoid shots get out of date here, nor polio.

[Kesavah]

That's what I figured, thanks guys. I'm not planning to live in the boonies so I think I'll pass on this one.