Injections needed for going to the Philippines?

[Will N. Dowd]

I was talking with my brother in law who is a Doctor and told him of my planned trip to the Philippines this May/June. He said don't even think about going without getting the following shots:

Hepatitis B and B
Japanese Encephalitis
Typhoid

He showed me websites where these are all listed as the minimum shots recommended for going to the tropics, where I have never been before. He and my sister got all the shots before they went to India last year. The Philippines was listed as a country where it is easy to get sick from the diseases listed above. I have no problems getting the shots, needles don't scare me, it's the local price for them. The 4 shots are just over $500 total at the local travel clinics here in Vancouver. I asked him if I could get the shots there since they would be a fraction of the price, but he said you need a few weeks for your body to adapt to them and become immune, so you need to get them before going, not there.

Anyone care to comment on if they did or didn't get them before going to the Philippines for the first time, or times after that? I generally avoid shots at all costs since I tend to agree with others here about most of them being a bit of a scam to get money out of the remote chance you might get sick. I never ever get the silly flu shot they always recommend. I've been to all sorts of rundown countries in Eastern Europe with questionable water supplies, and only got dysentery once from the Moscow city water when I lived there when I was 1 year old. I have never been to the tropics though and don't want to spend any time sick.

Would love some opinions and feedback.

[davewe]

I was talking with my brother in law who is a Doctor and told him of my planned trip to the Philippines this May/June. He said don't even think about going without getting the following shots:

Hepatitis B and B
Japanese Encephalitis
Typhoid

He showed me websites where these are all listed as the minimum shots recommended for going to the tropics, where I have never been before. He and my sister got all the shots before they went to India last year. The Philippines was listed as a country where it is easy to get sick from the diseases listed above. I have no problems getting the shots, needles don't scare me, it's the local price for them. The 4 shots are just over $500 total at the local travel clinics here in Vancouver. I asked him if I could get the shots there since they would be a fraction of the price, but he said you need a few weeks for your body to adapt to them and become immune, so you need to get them before going, not there.

Anyone care to comment on if they did or didn't get them before going to the Philippines for the first time, or times after that? I generally avoid shots at all costs since I tend to agree with others here about most of them being a bit of a scam to get money out of the remote chance you might get sick. I never ever get the silly flu shot they always recommend. I've been to all sorts of rundown countries in Eastern Europe with questionable water supplies, and only got dysentery once from the Moscow city water when I lived there when I was 1 year old. I have never been to the tropics though and don't want to spend any time sick.

Would love some opinions and feedback.

Consult your doctor of course. You're gonna need Hepatitus and Typhus for many foreign travels. I chose not to get Japanese Encephalitis.