Job Discussion Forums

[BJC]

Hello all,

I'm going to Nagoya with ECC very shortly, but I also plan to travel briefly in China/Tibet/Thailand after my contract ends. I'm considering being vaccinated for JE, which is a mosquito borne disease prevalent in rural areas, especially those that concentrate on pig farming, throughout Asia.

I'm just wondering how many people get vaccinated for it and just how likely it is that I will need what is a very expensive vaccination program (three shots at over AU$270). People I've spoken to who've travelled through these areas didn't do it and hadn't really heard of it before.

Thanks for your help.

[KarenB]

Japanese Encephalitis is a serious, sometimes fatal illness, but it tends to come in waves in Asia, and only affects certain parts of China. Here in Hainan, where I am, the children are vaccinated at the age of 15 months or so (China has a one-time vaccine, which is better than the ones available in Australia and America). However, I don't know of any adults who get the vaccination. I do have one American friend here who contracted the illness last summer and eventually had to go to Hong Kong for treatment.

The mosquitos that spread the illness bite in the daytime. The vaccination here in China is cheap and one time, (I think it was like 20 yuan -- about $2 or $3 USD -- for my infant son). So you might just want to wait til you get here and get the shot, altho I'm not sure how quickly it takes effect. I think it only affects the coastal regions of China, however -- like Guangdong and Hainan provinces