By Tonia Buzzolini*
One of the first questions we ask people who come to a Travelvax Australia clinic for the first time is: “Have you had any travel vaccinations in the past?”
A not-uncommon reply is: “Well, I had some for a trip a few years ago, but I’m not sure what I had…”
A flurry of shots with unfamiliar names are easily forgotten when you rely on memory alone. Sometimes some probing questions or a phone call or two can help piece together the details, but all too often getting an accurate, complete list proves frustratingly difficult.
Travel vaccines aren’t cheap: Consider them a long-term investment in healthy travel that not only protects for this journey, but those to come. Once completed, most vaccines provide extended protection needing only a ‘top-up’ booster down the track.
All the more reason to keep an accurate vaccination record, especially as vaccinations are increasingly required to attend child-care or school, for studying abroad, overseas postings, or for certain careers.
National adult register planned for 2016
An initiative announced in the recent federal Budget will help Australians keep track of their immunisations. The first national immunisation register for adults is planned for September next year, while the existing Australia-wide childhood register will be expanded to include adolescents.
Meanwhile, for travellers, the best way to keep track of immunisations is with the official International Vaccination Record Book. If you don’t already have a book, you can get one when you visit a Travelvax Australia clinic for your pre-travel medical consultation.
The familiar little yellow book is almost as important as your passport – especially if you are travelling to one of the African or South American countries that require visitors to show proof that they’ve been vaccinated against yellow fever, one of the more lethal mosquito-borne diseases.
Little yellow book is a travel must
Whether you are returning to Australia or travelling on to another country, customs officials will ask to see a properly stamped and signed yellow fever vaccination certificate if you arrive within 6 days of leaving a yellow fever-infected country. Many countries, including Australia, have the mosquitoes that spread yellow fever, but not the disease – and they’re keen to keep it that way!
Yellow fever aside, your travel vaccination booklet records the details of any travel or routine vaccines you have. As well as the date, the record notes the vaccine batch number and which brand of vaccine you had.
This is important because there are different versions for several travel vaccines, including Hep A, Hep B, rabies, typhoid, Japanese encephalitis, and meningococcal meningitis and the length of coverage can vary.
Build and maintain a lifelong health record
Of course, there are other ways to keep track of vaccinations and other health records. You can:
SPEAK TO YOUR DOCTOR – Your records are usually stored electronically for a period of 7 years and your former healthcare professionals can either print them out or transfer them to you or your travel doctor on request – especially important if you’re moving out of the area or abroad. (Speaking from experience, they will appreciate it if you give them some notice.)
CHECK THE REGISTER – For children or younger travellers still in their teens, there is the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register, which has recorded the vaccination history of Aussie kids from infancy to the age of 7 since 1996. These records are available on request.
CREATE YOUR OWN DIGITAL RECORD – An online platform called eHealth record allows you to create a secure, password-protected summary of your vaccination and health history. You control what goes into your file, and who can access it. Your eHealth record allows you and your doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare providers to view and share your health information. For parents, the free ‘my child’s eHealth record’ app, allows access to a child’s eHealth record to add to or review information.
IF IN DOUBT, GET TESTED – For certain diseases, a simple blood test can determine which routine immunisations you missed or which need to be renewed if you don’t have access to your records.
Modern vaccines offer long protection
As mentioned, most of today’s vaccinations provide long-term, high-level cover.
The full course of the most commonly recommended travel vaccine, Hep A offers 20-30 years protection (in reality, the experts say it’s probably lifelong) while others may need boosting from time to time.
The WHO recently decided the yellow fever (YF) vaccine no longer needs a 10-year booster (except under special circumstances).
However, this decision has not yet been universally adopted and Australians whose last YF vaccination was more than 10 years ago still need be vaccinated to visit areas of Africa and South America where the disease occurs.
Register will help stop disease ‘comebacks’
A national immunisation register for adults is long overdue, given the increasing number of vaccines recommended for adolescents and adults in Australia.
Originally targeted at older people, a flu shot is now a standard recommendation for overseas travel, as well as being publicly funded for the following at-risk groups, including people aged 65 and older, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders aged 6 months - 5 years and over 15 years, pregnant women, anyone 6 months or older with a medical condition predisposing them to severe influenza.
After wide-spread global epidemics, measles is also considered a must-do for travel. While officially eliminated in Australia, many of the 340 measles cases recorded here last year were the result of the highly contagious virus being ‘imported’ by young adult travellers infected while overseas.
The initiatives announced in the Budget would allow monitoring of measles vaccination status in young adults, just as the childhood register allows monitoring of kids.
And, that’s a good thing if Australia is to keep this potentially deadly virus and other diseases at bay.
* A registered nurse specialising in immunisation and travel health, Tonia Buzzolini is Travelvax Australia’s National Operations Manager.
Heading overseas? Get no-obligation advice and arrange a pre-travel consultation for any routine, recommended, or required travel vaccinations at a Travelvax Australia clinic by calling our free travel health advisory service on 1300 360 164.