I have been battling a bug I picked up in Rio last month. A cough turned into a chest/sinus problem. Took a 3 day Zith pack, did not phase it. The doctor then gave me a 10 day load of a stronger Antibiotic. It has slowly gotten better, although I am still coughing a bit.

Here is the problem...Because I have been sick, the doctor will not give me any immunizations. Should I be really concerned about Hepatitis A & B, Malaria, Tuberculosis, etc., or is the risk in LoS no greater than most any other non 1st world country?

Thanks for any advice, as I leave Wednesday morning for BKK.
Val

ummm well have you gotten immus for heb A, B, and TB?

Hep A & B are administered over 6 months. The way you've framed your question I'm guessing you've not even started yet.

As a diabetic, my GP has decided against giving me Malaria meds. Many of them can cause kidney damage. With all my time (and mosquito bites) in LoS I'm guessing you can pass on that. Now, if you were headed to Angkor Wat or Halong Bay then I'd recommend waiting for oral meds.

As for Hep - I just don't know. Hopefully KM will chime in here for ya.

E

If Zithro didn't knock it out you've probably got a virus.

I've been traveling to LOS since the mid 70's, never had any kind of immunization.

I wouldn't worry about it at this stage just "try" to get some rest between partying and push plenty of water...

"push plenty of water"

... and Viagra/Cialis/Levitra!!

E

Okay, I went in today, and got round 1 of Hep A & B, pills for Malaria, shots for Yellow Fever, Tetanus & Typhoid. He said the US does not give shots for TB, but will do a skin test when I return. So I guess that is better than nothing

Dude, half the Hombres on here don't even take rubbers to Asia anymore. I think you may be overly worried on the whole health thing. Picking up grippe in Rio is very common. When you've french kissed 20 garotas over 10 days, eaten more pussy than you thought possible, etc etc you tend up pick up a cold bug or three. How many nights/days in Rio did you get more than 5-6 hours sleep? How many nights were you up at 3:00 AM? Did you eat three meals a do or did you grab a sandwich now and then? Everyone gets sick in Rio, it's part of the experience.

Don't worry at all, I've gotten two really bad colds, that would kick in a day or two after returning from Rio. I got my first and only sinus infection after a Rio trip as well. Think of it as a souvenier, or the small price to pay for Rio.

While not the most commonly prescribed, our good friend doxycycline can be used as an antimalarial. It also has the added side benefit in that it cures or prevents the much more common malady likely to be encountered in SE Asia. Otherwise only stay at fancy places like my 100 Baht hotel in Laos. The really nice places provide mosquito nets.

Val, regarding Hep A&B, I have the shots now, but only got them two years ago. I've been traveling in Asia since 1991. Regarding Malaria and pills, don't worry about it. They're really unnecessary unless you plan on going on jungle treks. You can even get by without them at Angkor Wat in Cambodia. If all you're going to do is hang in BKK and Pattaya, then there REALLY is no need for them.

I've only gotten very sick twice - one case of food poisoning in Cambodia, and one very nasty cold that turned into a viral infection. All things considered, food poisoning and colds should be the primary things you guard against.

I spent a week and a half in BKK back in November, and about 9 days split between BKK and Pattaya in March. I don't recall getting a single mosquito bite, despite touring the Grand Palace (down by the river) and Ayuttaya (also not far from the river). Unless you're going way out into the boonies I'd put malaria pretty low on the list of things to worry about.

Val

The only really needed vaxccines are Hep A and B. If you're going to eat at the street food vendors Hep A is a risk. If you are going to have unsafe sex-- Buddha forbid -- Hep B is a possibility. As Epi said both Hep A and B are 6 month series-- B 3 shots and A 2 shots if I remember right, so you will not be protected with just one shot. Risk is small though. Malaria meds only if your going out to the countryside in Korat, or trekking in Chaing Mai etc.

TB vaccine is BCG and no one knows if it really works - I got it as a Med student/guinea pig. All it really does is turn your skin test positive.


Of course the really big one is the newly discovered 100% effective vaccine for HIV - however you cannot get that one. Us docs are saving that one for ourselves and we only give it to each other-- sorry.

Hi Val, Regarding sex - "NO" unprotected intercourse for you or anybody else for that matter. Why play Russian roulette? Regarding food - My advice is to eat in good reputable resturants and forget Thai street stalls. It's too much of a risk on your first trip, plus you do not have the vaccinations. Thai veterans like Khun Mor know plenty of good places to eat good, clean food in BKK. A good example is BUS STOP which is just up the street from Dynasty Inn, I would be happy to take you there.

WARNING! Bus Stop has some really cute girls so this can distract you from the menu. In extreme cases you forget to order!

Personally, I recommend Soi 5 Food Center. The food in INCREDIBLE and, while not stocked with hookers, does have air conditioning - recommended on warm days as you can imagine...

E

Dave
Actually I eat almost exclusively at the street stalls . Far and away the best Thai food available. There is NO restaurant that can make decent som tum pu pla ra - why is that I wonder ? Have eaten at the street vendors for years and have never gotten sick except one time. That dirty little Suki style food vendor -- ?? still there ?? just outside NEP at night. Shoulda known better ! The owners are not even Thai but Cambodian from what I have been told. Seems there is a Cambodian Mafia that hangs out and runs many of the vendor stalls and the little flower girls and boys around NEP is that right ??

Hi Khun Mor, Your info about the mafia group is right but I heard most of the little kids are Vietnamese. They are so light skinned it makes sense. LOS gets a lot of beggers from Cambodia. The Vietnamese kids could be from Cambodia too of course. Regarding street stalls I was just thinking of Val on his first trip here. You are an old warhorse but Val's a virgin! You have to have a very special stomach to sink that molten lava. You are an exception to the norm and possibly a "luuk krung" (half Thai, half Farang).

Hi Epi, just inside of Foodland that little eatery is great. Serves excellent meals that are so cheap, but you have to suffer some very ignorant immigrants of dubious background. They come from Soi 3 which the Thais call Soi Dam! (FYI Soi 3 is notorious for illegal immigrants and folks of dubious character). You sometimes have to fight for elbow space and this is the only set back of Tok Lae eatery. It is located just inside the entrance to Foodland on Soi 5. What I do is order a takeaway, do some grocery shopping and then pick it up on the way out. Excellent Thai and Chinese dishes.

DTR

Well, I was actually talking about Soi 5 food center - corner of Soi 5 and Sukhumvit. GREAT food. Pat and JJ keep the girls there working hard to bring you all their great food.

Now, I have eaten up "Soi Dam" before, but not gone farther then Ahkbar's on the west side of the street. Ahkbar's actually has good Indian and Persian food (if that's your gig)...

E

DTR You are correct about the flower kids- they are Vietnamese mostly,some Cambodian, none Thai but many speak fairly good Thai despite never going to school of course.They disappear for a while when the Boys in Brown round em all up and deport them, but within a few months are back in full force- Amazing Thailand !
They used to sell a lot more than gum or flowers as well. Hopefully that activity has been eliminated. The adults who run these kids and the vendor stands are Cambodian from what I have been told. The daytime BGs at Golden Beer bar all hated those men and women with a passion and I have witnessed many shouting matches / near
fights while peacefully sipping a libation .

The crippled beggars are 99% imported Cambodians brought in for the express purpose of begging for the Mafia. Under no circumstances should anyone give money to these people. It only encourages the mafia to bring in more. The crippled person himself does not get the money- it's all handed over to the bosses.

It's tuly an amazing little sub culture on Soi Nana. I actually over the years have watched one little girl grow up. I could identify her because she has a poorly repaired cleft lip so is very noticable. I watched her go from selling gum at age 5 or so to selling flowers for a long time, then a short time selling knock off watches. Last trip she had a vendor stand selling make up and cheap crappy jewelry and hair care items. I'm sure you know who I am talking about . Most Soi 4 regulars know her well.

Khun Mor, I sometimes think you know more than the locals here! When Mr Bush visited BKK for the APEC summit the Thais went to extraordinary measures by airlifting beggers and dumping them back in Cambodia. Like you say Amazing Thailand. My wife and I saw a very well dressed Thai stop in an expensive car, he then collected money off a begger on the street, and replaced the cash with some rice.

Regarding the former gum/flower seller I think I know the one. She shacked up with a short, fat, scruffy Thai guy who sells crappy VCD's outside Big Dogs late at night. They have a daughter together who has a cleft lip too. The little girl is quite a character and loves to play with my little dog "Emily." They sell cheap clothes and trashy stuff like you say. The former "gum girl" used to pester me at Pretty Lady bar, persistent little devils they were. I wonder what her little daughter will do when she grows up?