Finding an appointment to get vaccinated against typhus, yellow fever or hepatitis A is proving difficult for many Gipuzkoans who plan to travel to exotic countries in the coming weeks. The collapse that the vaccination centers abroad in the Basque Country are suffering is such that, as of today, the first available consultation is not for another two months, on October 4. Despite this, whoever moves to one of these destinations must follow this process to become immunized against certain viruses or bacteria, such as those that cause rabies or cholera.
On an August morning like any other, the person in charge of making way for people who arrive by appointment at the Government Sub-delegation in Gipuzkoa, where the international vaccination center is located, points out that “there are about twenty appointments” arranged. At around 10:20 a.m. Ander and Jone appear, who have been “trying to make an appointment since the beginning of the year. Finally in May we got one for today, although they have already let us know that we have been lucky, ”says this Irundarra couple, who will spend their honeymoon in Africa (in Kenya and Tanzania) at the end of September.
recommended vaccinations
Cuba Hepatitis A and Typhoid Fever (Typhus).
Mexico Hepatis A, Rabies and Typhus.
Costa Rica Hepatitis A and Typhus.
Central and South America Cholera.
Argentina Hepatitis A, Yellow Fever, Rabies and Typhus.
Brazil Hepatitis A, Yellow Fever, Rabies, Typhus.
Morocco Hepatitis A, Typhus and Rabies.
Senegal and Gambia Yellow Fever, Hepatitis A, Cholera, Typhus, Meningococcal and Rabies.
Egypt Hepatitis A, Typhus and Rabies.
Saudi Arabia Meningococcal.
Kenya Hepatitis A, Yellow Fever, Cholera, Typhus, Rabies and Meningococcal.
China Hepatitis A, Typhus, Japanese Encephalitis, Cholera and Rabies.
Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, India and Thailand Hepatitis A, Typhus, Japanese Encephalitis, Cholera and Rabies.
Shortly after, Ekain Mendiola arrives, another young man who comes to the center of Gipuzkoa from Gernika for the same purpose. This Biscayan has had no other option than to travel to Donostia. “In Bilbao there was no possibility that they would summon me before September, and by then I will already be traveling in Taiwan,” he complains. That is why he tried it in Gipuzkoa. “It must have been by chance, but last week I looked on the website and it indicated that I could make an appointment today, so I didn’t think about it, I took it and I came here,” he says, relieved.
“In Bilbao they didn’t attend me until September, and by then I’ll be out”
Another couple, however, has not been so lucky. Elixabete and Álvaro agree that “it is practically impossible to get an appointment.” They have been waiting for months to obtain a consultation with which to resolve their doubts about the recommended vaccinations to travel to Sri Lanka, and they walk with water up to their necks. “We’re leaving in a few days. Let’s see what they tell us today, but I don’t know if it will give us time to get vaccinated, since the dose needs days to take effect, ”explains Elixabete, who travels to the Asian country to take a course with which to be a yoga instructor.
The organization and concerns surrounding a trip are varied. From plane tickets to planning the itinerary or finding out what are the unavoidable points of the destination that is visited. Throughout this process it is essential to also take vaccination into account when traveling to an exotic country, in order to reduce the risk of getting sick and spoiling the experience with nights in bed and visits to health centers.
“It is left for the last”
Marisa Fidalgo, head of Foreign Health at the Government Delegation in Euskadi, explains that sometimes travelers “worry before the rest” about aspects related to the trip, such as flights, accommodation reservations, etc., but nevertheless, ” They tend to forget about vaccinations, leaving it for the last moment. It is for this reason, and for “the loss of a health worker along with the workers’ vacations”, that these “long waiting lists” occur.
«In May they gave us an appointment for August and they have already told us that we have been very lucky…»
The accumulation of requests usually occurs every year, explains the person in charge. It’s nothing new. However, both last year and this year, especially in the months of June and July, “record numbers” of delays have been reached due to the desire of the population to travel after the pandemic. That is why Fidalgo recommends that travelers “contact us as soon as they book their trips, in order to resolve health issues in sufficient time. When you wait until the last minute, demand builds up and it’s hard to respond to everyone at the same time,” she says.
To deal with this overload, the Bizkaia vaccination center has incorporated one more doctor at the Bilbao headquarters, highlights Fidalgo, who adds that “the three centers in the Basque Country (Bilbao, San Sebastián and Vitoria) are being reinforced and supporting each other. Both in Bizkaia and in Álava, Gipuzkoans are being vaccinated, and vice versa. Likewise, the person in charge details the different procedures that are followed depending on the situation of the travelers.
priority cases
Priority cases are considered to be those in which “the person goes to a country where the injection is compulsory”. Also if it is a business trip. “In these cases it may be understandable that the notice occurs without excessive advance notice.” These situations, together with that of families traveling with children to countries with a high health risk and cooperating, “are valued more.” In these cases, if necessary, the health workers could extend their working hours to attend to the greatest number of patients possible.
Donostia«We are traveling to Sri Lanka next week and the dose needs several days to take effect»
Of course, “appointments for these cases must be made by telephone or by e-mail,” stresses Fidalgo, since as of today, there is no possibility of obtaining one electronically until October.
Among the vaccines recommended for exotic countries but that need to be administered in health centers, the most prescribed last month in Gipuzkoa were against typhoid fever, with a total of 238, more than half of the 423 total. It is an infectious disease that is usually transmitted through contaminated food or drink, and has a higher risk of transmission in Africa, Central and South America.
Next is the hepatitis A vaccine, which was prescribed to 161 travelers. This virus, which consists of an inflammation of the liver, is transmitted in a similar way to typhoid fever: by ingesting contaminated food or liquids, as well as through direct contact with an infected person.
Of those that are injected at the international vaccination center, which in July reached 102 doses, the vast majority (87) were against yellow fever, a viral disease transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito, of which it is It is mandatory to protect yourself before visiting tropical areas of Africa, Central America and South America.
Ander is one of those who will receive this dose, since as he was informed at the center, he has to return in a week to have the injection injected. He Jone’s partner, however, is already vaccinated against the virus, and therefore immunized.
2023-08-10 04:33:26
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