INNOCULATIONS AND MALARIA TABLETS

Now I always knew that there would be something unexpected to pay for or that something would come in more expensive than planned. Today we went for our second round of jabs. As we plan to camp a great deal we are being extremely thorough and having pretty much every innocualtion we can think of. Chloera is about the only one we have decided not to bother with. So that means: Rabies; Tick Bourne Encephalitis; Japanese Encephalitis; Hepatitis B. Now to me that doesn't seem very many. We've already had Yellow Fever which we would've had to pay for and the rest we've had free of charge at our local GP (Typhoid, Polio, Tetanus, Diptheria etc). So the decision to have four additional innocualations didn't really cross my financial radar.

Until that is we went to the local MASTA clinic. And even then I didn't fully realise the true extent of the overall cost. I would say it was probably six of one and half a dozen of the other. I didn't read there price list carefully enough. They didn't make it clear enough how their price structure worked.

Rabies IM Route - £47
Tick Encephalitis - £63
Japanese Encephalitis - £43
Hepatitis B - £40

I looked at the above and did the calculations - £193 each. Not cheap but not too bad. Both of us covered for just under £400. Unfortunately I missed, didn't read properly, skipped over - however you want to phrase it - two important words at the top of the price list

"IMMUNISATIONS PRICE PER DOSE"

So that was my half dozen. Missing the "per dose". Their six was failing to indicate on the price list just how many doses were required for each innoculation. As it turns out each vaccine needs three doses to be effective. Doing the maths that makes things altogether more expensivive. £193 x 3 = £579 each - A GRAND TOTAL OF £1158 for 4 innoculations. Now don't get me wrong. When you put that next to catching Rabies or Encephalitis it is really a small price to pay. But it still came as a major shock. I really feel the price list should be amended to clearly state just how much it will cost to be fully protected from the diseases. Not many people are likely to want just the one or two doses. But of course the following price list looks far less appetising.

Rabies IM Route - £141
Tick Encephalitis - £189
Japanese Encephalitis - £129
Hepatitis B - £120

Would it put people off? Some possibly but not Bridget and I. It would though have helped us budget better. It's all a moot point really and I feel less irked now. We need, want the jabs and would have paid whatever was required. But if you are planning a similar trip I hope this helps you avoid our naiveity.

MALARIA TABLETS

Just to add insult to injury we have also discovered how much malaria tablets are going to cost. Malarone about £400 each leaving us little choice but to chose Doxycycline - much cheaper (about £115 each) but with greater chance of side affects. We need to try them before we go and keep our fingers crossed we have no problems. Again please don't think I am whingeing - better to pay than to catch Malaria but we hadn't expected it to cost quite that much - I think it was easy to think of the trip as an extended holiday and forget that a year away is a rather more than that.