Vaccines for Travelers for Patients

If you are planning to travel abroad, it is important to make sure you have the recommended vaccines before your trip. Plan to see your health care provider at least 4 to 6 weeks before you depart to find out which vaccines you should get. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) breaks vaccines down into those that are routine, required, and recommended. Make sure you are up to date on routine vaccines. The required and recommended vaccines you may need will depend on where you are going.  

Visit the CDC’s Travelers' Health Pageto learn about staying healthy while traveling. There you’ll find a destinationspage with a list of countries and the vaccines needed for visiting them.

The CDC provides additional information for pregnantor breastfeedingtravelers. If you plan to travel and might become pregnant, it is best to get vaccines at least 1 month before pregnancy occurs. If that is not possible, getting vaccines against most infections during pregnancy is safe. If you are breastfeeding and plan to travel, both you and your baby should get safe, recommended vaccines. The vaccine for yellow fever is not known to be safe for breastfeeding infants. If possible, breastfeeding mothers should avoid travel to countries where yellow fever exists. If travel cannot be avoided, the mother should get the vaccine.

Find a health department or travel clinicin your region that will give you the vaccines recommended by the CDC before your trip.

Vaccines for Travelers for Ob-Gyns

If your patients are making plans to travel abroad, especially those who are pregnant or breastfeeding,  they may contact you for information to remain safe and healthy while abroad. Advance planning is essential as some individuals may need a series of immunizations prior to traveling internationally. Please direct your patients to the Travelers' Health Page provided by the CDC to learn what vaccines needed to keep individuals and families healthy while traveling abroad.

While your office might not offer the required vaccines for traveling patients, it is important to refer patients to a place where these immunizations are given. Search here to find a health department or travel clinic in your region that will provided your patients with the vaccinations recommended by the CDC prior to leaving the country. 

 The CDC provides further information if your patients are pregnant or breastfeeding.