Getting K1 vaccinations

[Monte 16]

So my fiancee and I went to the THAI TRAVEL CLINIC, after making an appointment.

 

Great hospital. We arrived at 9:40, 5 minutes before our appointment. My fiancee has no longer her immunization book, so we basically prepared of starting over. and the hospital here only keep records for the last 10 years.

 

The doctor had her blood taken first to check for antibodies. We had to wait until he returned from lunch ( 13:20) to discuss the results. She had no antibodies, so they gave her:

Influenza

Hep A and B combined

Measles/Mumps shot.

 

We have to return in one month to get another booster for 

 

Hep A and B combined

Measles/Mumps shot.

 

And in six months ( hopefully after getting her visa) one more Hep A and B combined.

 

She also needs a tetanus shot, but she gave birth 5 years ago, so it is standard here to receive that shot. We will go back to the local clinic to get that one added to her immunization book.

[DanielPlainview 368]

 

Monte, It's my understanding that Haemopilus influenzae, Pneumococcal for children, Meningococcal, and Rotavirus are not required for adults.   

 

Did they mention why you do not need Diptheria, pertussis, polio, and varicella and if so, did they mention any of that on the paperwork for the reviewer?    

 

[JoelThai 313]

1 hour ago, DanielPlainview said:

Did they mention why you do not need Diptheria, pertussis, polio, and varicella and if so, did they mention any of that on the paperwork for the reviewer?    

 

In our case, the staff doctor at the Thai Travel Clinic documented that my fiancee would have received 3 shots of "opv" (polio) when she was in primary school.  (Apparently this is something that all Thai students are required to receive.  The Travel Clinic can advise further, based on the age of the patient).    But the clinic did provide her an extra Polio booster shot just to be sure. 

 

For Varicella, the clinic performed a test and determined that she was immune, thus not requiring new vaccination.

 

The Tetanus shot @Monte's fiancee will return to receive (and my Fiancee received) will likely be a DTaP vaccination which includes Diptheria and Pertussis.   (D = Diptheria, T = Tetanus, P = Pertussis )

 

The Embassy medical exam at Bumrungrad found that all of my fiancees vaccinations were in order.

 

Edited September 30, 2018 by JoelThai

[DanielPlainview 368]

 

17 hours ago, JoelThai said:

 

In our case, the staff doctor at the Thai Travel Clinic documented that my fiancee would have received 3 shots of "opv" (polio) when she was in primary school.  (Apparently this is something that all Thai students are required to receive.  The Travel Clinic can advise further, based on the age of the patient).    But the clinic did provide her an extra Polio booster shot just to be sure. 

 

For Varicella, the clinic performed a test and determined that she was immune, thus not requiring new vaccination.

 

The Tetanus shot @Monte's fiancee will return to receive (and my Fiancee received) will likely be a DTaP vaccination which includes Diptheria and Pertussis.   (D = Diptheria, T = Tetanus, P = Pertussis )

 

The Embassy medical exam at Bumrungrad found that all of my fiancees vaccinations were in order.

 

 

Usual great information JoelThai.   Particularly that last statement.   

[DanielPlainview 368]

OK, here's a new one.   So my fiancee called Travel Clinic.....they told her to go to Bumrungrad to get the blood work done to determine which vaccines are necessary, then come back and let them know which ones she needs.   She told them that she did not want to go to Bumrungrad, and that she wanted Thai Travel Clinic to check her blood to determine which vaccines are necessary.   They're telling her "nope, not the way we do it".    

She told me that they told her this last time she called.  I said, "no, that cannot be right.  please call them again and tell them you have a list of vaccines you require from the US ,and you want them to draw blood to determine which of those vaccines you need".   They responded that she needs to go to Bumrungrad for the eval. and they will administer the vaccines based on the Bumrungrad recommendation.    

Makes absolutely no sense to me.

[JoelThai 313]

17 hours ago, DanielPlainview said:

OK, here's a new one.   So my fiancee called Travel Clinic.....they told her to go to Bumrungrad to get the blood work done to determine which vaccines are necessary, then come back and let them know which ones she needs.   

 

How strange... They (Thai Travel Clinic - Tropical Diseases Hospital @ Mahidol University) have a full lab and can perform the tests needed.   If she has no vaccination history, they need to test for Hep A, Hep B, Varicella, and MMR (Mumps, Measles, & Rubella).   It is simple and they should be able to do so.  They did so for my Fiancee, about one year ago

 

Here is the web page documenting their testing lab:

https://www.thaitravelclinic.com/Knowledge/diagnosis-and-treatment-of-tropical-diseases.html

 

Maybe your fiancee was asking them which vaccination that Bunrungrad/US Embassy expect her to have which is maybe why they are deferring to them?   I suspect this may be the case.

 

Perhaps she can keep the conversation simple and state that she needs to determine (i.e. be tested) if she has immunity to the list above, and if not, she needs to be vaccinated as she is preparing for Travel abroad..   There is no need to mention Bumrungrad or the US Embassy.  I hope this is helpful advice to get things moving forward for you.

 

Edited October 1, 2018 by JoelThai

[JoelThai 313]

17 hours ago, DanielPlainview said:

She told them that she did not want to go to Bumrungrad, and that she wanted Thai Travel Clinic to check her blood to determine which vaccines are necessary.   They're telling her "nope, not the way we do it". 

Another option/suggestion is to contact the Thai Red Cross Vaccination clinic and determine if they can complete the necessary testing.   I believe they can, but we did not do our testing there, so I am not 100% certain.   The Thai Red Cross is good about doing what you tell them to, so I do not think you will run into the same problem if the Thai Travel Clinic is still refusing to perform the testing.  

 

1) Get Tested for Hep A, Hep B, Varicella, and MMR. (You will likely need to return in a few days to get test results.

2) For tests returning negative, get the necessary vaccinations.

3) Get the yearly flu shot  and  DTap shot(if you have not already)

4) Get a polio booster shot (if you have no previous records and are not sure if you have received the shot in grade school)

 

These are the shots my Fiancee had documented in her Vaccination book which Bumrungrad approved during the Packet 4 Embassy certified Medical Exam:

1) Polio (Poliomyelitis)

2) Tetanus Toxoid, Diphtheria, Pertussis

3) Influenza 

4) Hep A (2 shots)

5) MMR (2 shots)

(she was tested immune to Hep B and did not require vaccination)

 

Edited October 1, 2018 by JoelThai

[DanielPlainview 368]

Yes, I thought it was extremely odd for them to respond in this manner since I also saw the "services" offered on their website.   So I wrote to them...........completely different answer.  Response is below.   That bit about "just because of the paperwork" I interpret as "just because the vaccines are recommended on the Embassy paperwork"..........which is completely understandable.   

 

Thank you for contacting us. Yes, your fiancee can visit our travel clinic to evaluate the need for the mentioned vaccine. We can also do lab tests for some diseases to prove her immunity including Hep A, B, MMR, varicella. If you prefer to visit us, please make an appointment online via our website. 

 

However, please be informed that, we may not recommend her to get all vaccines nor to have all the lab tests just because of paperwork. Since some lab/some vaccines may not necessary or not applicable for her. Our doctors will consider in a case-by-case basis, by using their professional judgement. Our goal is to provide the highest medical standard for maximum benefit to our patients/travelers.

[Monte 16]

To answer the couple questions here"

 

We made an appointment online. A doctor sat down with Bee and myself, and looked over the list I provided from Packet 3. He then pulled out a rubric chart, that looked had the age on top and it showed which ones were required. A lot of the listed were not actually required by the US for her agegroup (22).

 

We then requested blood work done to make sure she needed the 4 shots identified. Blood was drawn 20 minutes later, and it took at least one hour to have the lab return the results. 

 

After the blood work,  she received 3 shots. The 4th one we had to ask her local clinic if she already received it ( tetanus) .