So, you’ve booked your plane tickets and hotel room for your upcoming trip abroad. Congratulations! We hope you’ll have fun!

But we hate to be a bit of a spoilsport here as we remind you that you’ve got to update your Immunization Records to make sure you’ve had all the necessary shots before heading to some foreign country, whether for work or fun. It is important to take note that it doesn’t even matter whether you’ll be backpacking your way across the new country and staying in cheap hostels or if you plan on spending most of your time in a fancy resort. Visiting a foreign country could still put you at risk of contracting various diseases and infections that might be proliferating in that place. To make sure you and your family stay safe while on your trip, take the proper precautions by getting those vaccine shots before you leave.

Routine Vaccinations

Take note that you don’t have to take all the vaccines available at your doctor’s clinic for your next trip! Not only will that be very expensive, it will also be impractical – and your doctor won’t even recommend it. Besides, most people have already gotten a number of vaccines as kids. Check your Immunization Records if you’ve had these routine vaccines, recommended for all countries:

Flu Vaccine

You’re not really required to get the flu vaccine. Moreover, flu is not really fatal but catching one on your trip could ruin your fun moments with the family. Protection flu vaccine is good for a year.

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A can cause liver disease; but you can get the vaccine that protects you for a lifetime. Because Hepatitis A is spread through improperly handled food and water that became contaminated with an infected person’s feces, the disease could actually spread easily. There’s no way of knowing whether the food you are about to eat is totally clean; so, getting this vaccine is very important.

Hepatitis B

While most childhood immunizations these days already include Hepatitis B, check with your pediatrician if your kids already had this vaccine. The vaccine for this is given over the course of a few months, but the protection is for a lifetime.

TDaP (Tetanus, Diptheria, and Pertussis)

This vaccine is usually given as part of childhood immunization in 5 doses. Adults can also receive the single-dose variant of this vaccine. Its effect will last a lifetime; though boosters are recommended every 10 years.

Country-Specific Vaccinations

While it is best for you to get all of those four vaccines mentioned above, traveling to certain countries might require you to get more vaccinations. There are many countries that might have already eradicated certain diseases and infections, yet these medical problems could still exist in the country you are visiting.

Here are some vaccines you should get before traveling to certain regions or countries:

• Cholera – Recommended if you’re traveling to some parts of Africa, including Egypt, Congo, and Morocco
• Meningitis – Recommended if you’re traveling to Africa and the Middle East
• Polio – Recommended if you’re traveling to Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia
• Typhoid Fever – Recommended if you’re traveling to Africa, Asia, Central America, Pacific Islands, and South America
• Yellow Fever – Recommended if you’re traveling to Africa and South America

For a comprehensive guide to the vaccines you need to take before your trip, check out this list made by the World Health Organization (WHO) [https://www.who.int/ith/2016-ith-county-list.pdf] or this list by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention [https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/list/].