Malaria

Hopefully this will be the last post about my immunizations. Tomorrow will be my last dose of the oral Typhoid vaccine ... and that has always come with a mild nausea, which continues to provide the tangible reminder that I mentioned in my last post.

I have also found it interesting that I ended up getting the majority of my vaccinations at a government health clinic. Originally my doctor's office gave me the name and number of a private travel clinic. But their prices were very high (and my insurance will not cover vaccinations for travel purposes). A friend pointed me out to Fairfax County's Health Department, which offers many of the immunizations that I needed ... and all for about half what I would have paid at the private clinic.

It made me stop to think why in the world the County would offer health vaccines to travelers for so much less than the private clinics. I mean, my insurance won't cover it because travel to a third world country is MY choice, and they don't want to ask for everyone to pay higher premiums because I choose to go to Africa. So, wouldn't the same thinking apply to the local government?

But, after thinking about it, it occurred to me that it is to the government's benefit to keep these diseases at a minimum here. Eventually, if there is spread of these diseases, the government will end up at a loss, either financially, or some other way. So it makes sense that they would encourage travelers to be vaccinated for the good of the community as a whole. (Note, there are no vaccinations required for travel to Kenya at this time. The vaccines that I mentioned in my previous post were "recommended" by the State Department website. And, believe me, I don't want to be at any risk whatsoever for something like Malaria or Typhoid or the like!) Now, of course I'm not sure if I have actually nailed the real reason WHY the government of Fairfax County, VA offers travel vaccinations. But that's my best guess.

If you're interested in this topic, as I am at this point, you might also be interested in reading an article about Malaria that has appeared in this month's National Geographic Magazine. It is definitely an interesting read. Be sure to click on some of the sidebar notes to the left of the article for some interesting photos and field notes by the authors. Thank you to Alex for pointing the article out to me.