Traveling abroad for a holiday can be fun, but if you come back sick, or even worse, spread it around back at home, it won’t be a happy story. Not getting the right vaccinations when you are going outside the country can be a source of trouble.
According to a recent study published in the journal “Annals of Internal Medicine,” more than half of international travelers from the U.S. between 2009 and 2014 who were eligible to receive the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine before traveling did not get vaccinated.
Traveling abroad for a holiday can be fun, but if you come back sick, or even worse, spread it around back at home, it won’t be a happy story. Not getting the right vaccinations when you are going outside the country can be a source of trouble.
According to a recent study published in the journal “Annals of Internal Medicine,” more than half of international travelers from the U.S. between 2009 and 2014 who were eligible to receive the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine before traveling did not get vaccinated.
Authored by nine doctors, led by Dr. Emily Hyle, an instructor in medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, the study is based on 40,810 adult travelers who visited one of 24 Global TravEpiNetclinic sites, affiliated with a hospital, medical school, doctor’s office, pharmacy or public health clinic. The study was carried out to assess the measles immunity status of departing U.S. adult travelers who sought pretravel consultation.
The study found that of 40,810 travelers, 6,612 were eligible for MMR vaccine at the time of traveling abroad, but 3,477, or 53 percent, ended up not getting vaccinated. After analyzing a structured questionnaire completed by both travelers and providers during pretravel consultation, researchers found that 48 percent of travelers who were not vaccinated refused to get the vaccination, thinking it was unnecessary. Another 28 percent of the travelers did not get vaccination because the provider deemed the vaccine to be unnecessary and the remaining 24 percent could not get vaccinated due to health systems barriers.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from Jan 1-April 22, 2017, 61 people from 10 states were reported to have measles and the majority of people who got measles were unvaccinated.
When going abroad for vacation, along with packing clothes and other accessories, getting vaccinated is also an integral part of preparation. And the vaccinations you need depend on where you are traveling to. For example, yellow fever vaccine is required when traveling to certain countries in Africa, Central America, or South America, according to the website of Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).
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