Jags, Jags, Jags...

Look, it's the Donna!
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...to be sung to the tune of 'Boys, Boys, Boys' by Sabrina hehehe!

My lovely Donna suggested we write a blog re: the immunisations and prices, so here I am writing said blog!  It's something we didn't know too much about before planning the trip, and it's worked out to be quite expensive so I think it might be useful for folk planning a trip similar to ours!  Here goes (prices per person):

midgies love us in this country, so I think mosquitoes will probably be equally as amorous!

Hep A and Tetanus/Diptheria/Polio were available on the NHS, so it was £13.50 for those.

Hep B and Rabies we had to get on a private prescription (pay £10 for the privilege of a doc signing it) and you need 3 doses of each to complete the course.  As mentioned in the last blog, shop around for these bad boys as the prices for them vary depending on the chemist you go to.  We went with Moss Chemists (UK) as it was the cheapest; £110 for Rabies and £60 for Hep B.  We picked up the full courses of both jags, and our travel nurse is looking after them in her special fridge (oooh)...we just make appointments with her to get them administered.  There's a structure for Hep B and Rabies being jabbed into your arm (not your bum...phew):  day 0, day 7 and day 28, so make sure you leave at least 28 days prior to your leaving date to get the full courses!

Japanese Encephalitis B is an exotic virus (makes it sound so lovely), therefore it can only be administered at specialist travel clinics.  Again, it's a course of 3 jags and it's quite pricey...I'm going to Footprints Outdoor Store on Woodlands Road (Glasgow) as they have a travel doc in every Thursday; they're cheapest at £42.00 per dose.  Becuase of Jo's work commitments, he's going to MASTA on Mitchell Street as they're more flexible; he'll be charged £43 per dose there...not much in it but I'm trying to get in the habit of penny pinching now!  Harharhar!  That extra couple of pounds is a luxury night abroad somewhere(?!), or at least, that's Jodie's excuse every time I want to get a curry.  The structure of the jags is the same as Hep B/Rabies...day 0, day 7, day 28.

If you're planning on going to MASTA, I'd recommend you do your research before visiting as they charge £20 just for a consultation! Our travel nurse gave us all the info we needed, which meant Jodie just had to call up and make an appointment to get the jag, thus avoiding all consultation costs :o)

If you need any travel advice, our nurse used this website:

http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/

Information depending on destination so it's pretty useful!

Forgetting about the costs of the jags, it's been quite good for me as I'm no longer freaked out by them!  I even watched nursey-lady put them in my arm which is an achievement I tell ye!  Jodie was brave as usual...he still manages to look all sexual chocolatey even when he's being jabbed in le arm.

There's a lot of debate among travellers regarding whether or not the immunisations are necessary, and we've decided we should get the receommended ones as better to be safe than sorry.  If we were to get ill and didn't have the proper vaccinations we wouldn't be able to claim on our travel insurance for any healthcare costs!  Ouch! And midgies love us in this country, so I imagine mosquitoes will be equally as amorous; Hep B and Jap B are both mosquito-born so I don't think it's worth the risk!

So there!

PS this info is from our experience...please don't rely on this; make sure you seek proper travel advice from a trained professional.  Disclaimer OVER!

EDIT:  Went to Footprints there, and it turns out the JAP B jag is actually £39.95 per dose...cheaper than I thought!  And I got a free coffee as the doc was running a little bit late!