Vaccinations-You knew there would be some

To make sure that we had all the correct vaccinations we went to the Ottawa West Travel Medicine Clinic run by Dr. John Lee. We met with Hasana Birk. She spent about an hour with us discussing all of our current medications, vaccinations needed, drug interactions and options. The one hour visit for two people was $80. Hasana was extremely knowledgeable about prescription drugs and the country of Tanzania. The visit was well worth the cost.

Address: 2nd Floor,760 Eagleson Road
Ottawa, Ontario, K2M 0A7
Phone: (613) 592-9081

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Tetanus, Diphtheria, Polio
Adults in Canada generally have a booster shot every 10 years.
Apparently 1 shot of polio in your adult life is generally sufficient,
Tetanus and diphtheria every 10. If you can't remember precisely when your last booster shot was, be prepared to roll up your sleeve. You will be given a shot as a precaution.

Health Coverage: is covered by OHIP

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Rabies
If you check some travel and health web sites, rabies shot are recommended but not mandatory. If you get bit and haven't had your pre-exposure rabies shot (what you get before you get bit) you will need a series of 6 rabies shots. Pre-exposure rabies shots come in a series of 3 shots. If you have these shots and then get bit, you still will need to have another 3 rabies shots (to complete the series of 6).
Since our clinic did not feel that rabies was necessary, our decision to have them was based on whether or not our health plan covered the cost of the shots. Not covered so no shots.

Name of the vaccine: RabAvert
DIN#: 02267667
Cost: per shot is ~$60 CND (~$180 for the 3 shots)
Health Coverage: not covered by OHIP, may be covered by private health plans.

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Yellow Fever
Apparently only needed in Tanzania IF you are traveling into Tanzania from a country that is currently recognized as a yellow fever endemic zone. Since yellow fever is not endemic in Canada, the shot wasn't necessary. As a precaution we were given an official exemption certificate.

Cost: $100 for the single dose

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Hepatitis A
Recommended but not necessary. We had received HepA shots a few years ago in preparation for a trip to Mexico, so we were still protected. Cost for the shots (at that time) were covered under our private health plan.

The inoculation consists of 2 injectable doses, taken six months apart. When we picked up the HepA prescription we were each given two "kits" each containing a glass syringe plus separate vaccine. We had to bring the kit to the doctor's office to get the injection. This protection lasts for about 10 years.

Name of the vaccine: Havrix
DIN#: 02187078
Cost: per shot is ~$60 CND (~$120 for the 2 doses)
Health Coverage: not covered by OHIP, may be covered by private health plans.

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Hepatitis B
Hep B is usually contacted through contact with an infected person's blood, semen, or other body fluid. Since we are going to be working in a medical enviroment, we decided that getting vacinated would be a good idea. Innoculation consisted of 3 shots, second shot is 1 month after the first shot; the third (and last shot) is 6 months after your first shot.

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Typhoid
This vaccination was recommended for us to get. When getting this you have two choices: a single dose, injectable vaccine (good for 2-3 years) or a live, oral version which consists of 4 pills to be taken over 8 days (good for 5-7 years). Since the live vaccine offers slightly longer lasting protection, we opted for that. It was not covered under our health plan.

Name of the oral vaccine: Vivotif
DIN#: 00885975
Cost: 4 pills is $40 CND
Health Coverage: not covered by OHIP, may be covered by private health plans.

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Malaria
Unfortunately daily doses of gin and tonics will not be a sufficient preventative (and yes I asked :-). The clinic mentioned that there were three possible brands- Mefloquine, Doxycycline, and Malarone.

Mefloquine was not even considered due to its potentially severe side effects including bad nightmares, depression and suicidal tendencies. (GEEZE why even offer this one)
I can`t really remember the difference between Doxycycline and Malarone. I think that Doxycycline costs less but you need to take the drug longer than the Malorone. We decided to go with the Malorone since it meant less doses and it turned out to be covered by our health plan. You take one pill per day. You start 1 day before you arrive in the area and continue to take them for 7 days after you leave.

Name of the oral vaccine: Malorone
Cost:
DIN#: 02238151
Health Coverage: not covered by OHIP, may be covered by private health plans.
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Traveler's Diarrhea
We were given pills that we could take in case of moderate or severe diarrhea or bladder infection. Good to have just in case! The pills were covered by our health plan. The single prescription contained only 3 (very large) pills.

Name of the oral vaccine: Cipro XL
Cost:
DIN#: 02247916 (500mg) OR 02251787 (100mg)
Health Coverage: not covered by OHIP, may be covered by private health plans.
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Cholera
Necessary vaccination against Cholera was abolished in 1973 by International Health Regulations. Apparently some corrupt border guards will, on occasion, demand proof of vaccination. The travel clinic can provide an official exemption certificate. This was not something that was necessary for Tanzania. Apparently Dukoral can be used as an oral vaccine against Cholera.

Name of oral vaccine: Dukoral
DIN#: 02247208
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One thing that we never discussed was whether or not we would need a dose of anti parasite pills—Mebendazade (Vermox)—used to treat infestations by worms including pinworms, roundworms, tapeworms, hookworms, and whipworms. Once dose is usually taken once you arrive back home, from Africa.