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Get your shots before you travel
VCH health officials urge travellers to get vaccinated before international excursions. Winter Break is coming up and Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) experts are advising travellers not to forget their travel vaccines before heading out on holidays.
“It’s important for the travelling public to get the appropriate vaccines because there are a number of diseases very common outside North America and Western Europe that are vaccine preventable,” says Travel Clinic Director Dr. Suni Boraston. “Our clinic is a one-stop shop, where you can get everything you need for your trip.”
The services the clinic provides includes:
- travel health assessments;
- travel prescriptions;
- health advice; and
- vaccinations.
Once a physician makes an assessment, a registered nurse provides the vaccinations. The clinic also has a wide range of non-travel vaccinations, though COVID-19 vaccines are not available at the clinic.
“Hepatitis A is really common in travellers,” says Boraston. “It can make you sick for months, but it can be prevented with a simple vaccine. Typhoid fever is another vaccine-preventable disease. Malaria can be deadly, as can yellow fever. Many countries in West Africa actually require a yellow fever vaccine upon entry.”
People can phone or book online. The clinic physicians can also write prescriptions, for instance, to prevent malaria or altitude sickness, or treat illnesses such as travellers’ diarrhea. The clinic carries mosquito repellants, infant mosquito nets and water-purifying tablets.
Our website links to Trip Prep , where you can find the vaccinations recommended for different areas of travel. Our website also links to the Government of Canada list of pre-travel vaccines and medications under the “Health” section of each country.
The clinic runs on a cost recovery basis, which means that any fees charged cover only the clinic costs. For more information about the Travel Clinic/Vaccination Clinic or pricing, please see our website.