Hello Blog Followers,
This past week I checked off a big to-do item from my big list of things to accomplish before I leave for my volunteer trip to Kenya. I got injections! Trust me, it sounds equally as appealing as was the experience.
Before entering into Africa, just like many other non-North American continents, there are a variety of vaccinations one must acquire. Some of these vaccinations are strongly recommended, while others are obligatory and legal requirements. These policies are enforced for the safety of the individuals traveling and thus aim to protect them from the various risk factors commonly encountered.
Specifically, Kenya has one legally enforced vaccination that travelers must have prior to entering: yellow fever vaccine. This vaccination, evidently, assists in the prevention of acquiring yellow fever, which is a viral disease most commonly transmitted from mosquitoes. Yellow fever is a severe illness that affects various organs (in particular the liver and the kidney) and symptoms can range from mild fever symptoms to fatality, which is commonly seen in many infected individuals.
Other vaccines that are recommended prior to entering Kenya are; typhoid, hepatitis A, malaria and various others that are commonly immunized against in North America. Another common vaccination that is prescribed by physicians is Dukoral, which immunizes the body against travelers’ diarrhea (most commonly caused by various strains of E. coli found in foreign countries).
Due to the fact that the illnesses being vaccinated against are not typically found in Canada, health care does not provide coverage. Therefore, most travelers must seek out a specialized travel clinic in order to acquire the proper immunizations before leaving Canada. The initial visit and assessment is roughly 50.00 dollars in-and-of-itself, and then each immunization ranges from 50.00 dollars to 150.00 dollars. Just some of the other expenses required in order to volunteer overseas. Thanks to some of the incoming donations, these expenses are slowly becoming manageable.
In the end, other than a very sore deltoid for two days, the vaccinations were well received by my body. I am glad to have one more thing off my list and with each completed task I am slowly getting closer to Kenya. Health is the crutch to this mission. Through Nursing, I hope to help the health of many Kenyans, while also maintaining my own health throughout the process.
