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Chapter 26
IMMUNIZATIONS
Recommendations are considered Category 1A by the WMS Panel of Expert Reviewers
GENERAL INFORMATION
Appropriate immunizations are vital for those entering wilderness and foreign areas.
Current recommendations for U.S. travelers are issued by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC), published annually in Health Information for International
Travel. The publication contains vaccination and certification requirements for malaria
and yellow fever on a country-by-country basis. It also includes the U.S. Public Health
Service recommendations for difficult immunization questions, such as immunization of
infants and pregnant or lactating women, and specific recommendations for vaccination
and prophylaxis for a wide variety of disorders. It also contains a discussion of specific
potential health hazards worldwide, grouped by geographic region. The information in
this book is updated in the biweekly Summary of Health Information for International
Travel. Both the book and updates can be obtained from the Superintendent of
Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. A weekly report
of infectious diseases in the United States and important overseas medical developments
is contained in the CDC publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Subscriptions can be obtained from the CDC, Atlanta, GA 30333, or from the
Massachusetts Medical Society, C.S.P.O. Box 9120, Waltham, MA 02254-9120, which
reprints these reports as part of an inexpensive subscription service.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can be accessed via
the Internet at
www.cdc.gov/travel
.
The United States Department of State has a 24-hour hot line that provides
general country information, with a travel risk assessment, at (888) 407-4747, or if
calling from Canada or from overseas (317) 472-2328. The United States Department of
State website at
www.travel.state.gov
lists travel warnings and counselor information
sheets. Also available on the internet are travel advisories from the countries of Australia
www.dfat.gov.au/consular/advice
, Canada
www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca
, and the United
Kingdom
www.fco.gov.uk/travel
An alternative source of information is Vaccination Certificate Requirements and
Health Advice for International Travelers, published yearly by the World Health
Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. It is available through the WHO Publication Center
U.S.A., 49 Sheridan Avenue, Albany, NY 12210. Contact the WHO via the Internet at
www.who.int
.
The local county or state board of health will frequently have information from
the above sources available for consultation and/or will have a referral service to local
travel medicine specialists.
Current immunization advice, disease risk charts and other information
concerning the availability of medical care within foreign countries can be obtained from
