Travel Medicine NYC / Travel Vaccinations Doctor NYC

Travel-Vaccines-300x198Before traveling abroad it is important to ensure you are protected from various diseases. We provide a full range of travel medicine services, support and assistance, before, during and after your trip including: travel vaccinations, immunizations, medicine and injections. Whether you need vaccinations for Thailand or vaccinations for India, a rabies vaccine or a yellow fever vaccination our specialist travel nurses and travel doctors are here to help.

Please note: The NYC doctor can provide all of the vaccinations and travel medications that you need for any country in the world.

Vaccinations are mandatory for travel to particular destinations. For example, if you have passed through an area where yellow fever is known to occur, many countries won’t allow you to enter unless you have been properly vaccinated. The board certified NYC internal medicine doctor, Sue Decotiis, MD, can vaccinate and provide a certificate of proof if you require it because some places require you to carry an International Certificate of Vaccination to prove that you have been vaccinated against diseases prevalent in the territory.

If you’re traveling to an exotic destination, be mindful of the following common illnesses:

  • Cholera
  • Hepatitis A
  • Hepatitis B
  • Malaria
  • Typhoid fever

Diseases travelers may need to be vaccinated against:

  • Chickenpox
  • Diphtheria
  • European tick-borne encephalitis
  • Haemophilus influenzae type B
  • Human papillomavirus (HPV)
  • Influenza
  • Japanese encephalitis
  • Measles
  • Meningococcal disease
  • Mumps
  • Pertussis (whooping cough)
  • Pneumococcal disease
  • Poliomyelitis (polio)
  • Rabies
  • Rubella (German measles)
  • Tetanus
  • Yellow fever

Ideally 4-6 weeks before travel enabling you to complete any course (rabies vaccination, hepatitis B vaccination, jap encephalitis vaccination or cholera vaccination). If you are not intending to do any course and need only a booster then 14 days before is sufficient. It is always good to come even if it is one day before travel as we can still vaccinate you and give you advice and malaria tablets (if required). Yellow fever vaccination requires 10 days before travel – for full immunity ideally (vaccination still provided if less than 10 days).

One-third of persons who travel abroad experience a travel-related illness, usually diarrhea or an upper respiratory infection. The risk of travelers’ diarrhea can be reduced by eating only freshly prepared, hot foods. Combination therapy with a single dose of ofloxacin plus loperamide usually provides relief from travelers’ diarrhea within 24 hours.

Using a diethyltoluamide (DEET) ­containing insect repellent and wearing permethrin-coated clothing can reduce the risk of malaria, yellow fever and other diseases contracted from insects.

Routine immunizations such as tetanus, measles, mumps and rubella, and influenza should be updated if necessary before the patient embarks on the trip. Hepatitis A immunization should be administered to persons traveling to places other than Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and western European countries.

Typhoid vaccination should be considered for travelers going to developing countries. Yellow fever immunization is indicated for travelers going to endemic areas of South America and Africa. Malaria prophylaxis with chloroquine is indicated for travelers going to Mexico and Central America.

Mefloquine is recommended for those traveling to areas where malaria is resistant to prophylactic treatment with chloroquine. Medical advice for patients planning trips abroad must be individualized and based on the most current expert recommendations.

Midtown Primary Care Doctor, PC
Sue Decotiis, MD
20 E 46th St., #1201b
New York, NY 10017
Phone: (212) 685-4016