Ouch!

I'm not sure how I survived our previous trip to China without a zillion vaccinations, but I sure am making up for it this time! The CDC recommends that travelers to China be vaccinated for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid and tetanus. Depending on the region to which you are traveling, you might also need malaria (this one I think is an oral medication, not a vaccine) and rabies. I have a current tetanus vaccine, so I escaped that one, but made up for it by needing a MMR booster since my first dose was before 12 months of age.

The hepatitis A&B are combined in one series of three vaccinations. I had my first one about a month ago and the second one yesterday (#3 will be in about 5 months). Last night my arm was doing ok, but this afternoon it HURTS. Rob, the stinker, has already had hepatitis vaccinations at work so he only needed a MMR booster. We'll both go in for the typhoid shot closer to our travel date.

Because the hepatitis series takes 6 months to complete, you really need to plan in advance of travel. The requirements and recommendations for a variety of destinations can be found on the CDC's website.