Hepatitis A?

Ok, 1 more question, please. Is it a good idea to get a Hepatitis A shot before traveling to DR? If, so why?
Thanks,
Elaine

To prevent Hepatitis "A"

How does a person get Hepatitis A? Sorry, but I'm not familiar with this sort of thing. Joyce

Hepatitis A not as unpleasant as the other forms of Hepatitis. However, it spreads very easily, for instance through water and food, whereas you will normally have to mix body fluids to catch the other nastier kinds of Hepatitis. It is also very common and not only in the DR.

Even if Hepatitis A is not a critical disease it is a good idea to prevent it. Especially as it can be done very easily. One shot of immune globulin will do the trick - if you just want short time protection (about two months). You can get other and more expensive vaccinations that will protect you a lot longer if necessary. Ask your own doctor.

For more information on travellers' health, check out Centers For Disease Control on www.cdc.gov/travel

Regards,
Susanne

Hepatitis A is basically the same as jaundice.

You go yellow in colour, nausea, loose a lot of weight and generally feel yuk.
Also you wont be allowed to drink alcohol for at least 6 months.

OK here goes a quick basic explanation on the topic....
BTW: Jaundice and hepatitis are NOT synomyous..."jaundice" comes from the French word "Jaune" which means YELLOW. People who say they have "yellow jaundice" are being redundant....

Hepatitis is basically an
Inflammation of the liver; usually from a viral infection, but sometimes from toxic agents.

Previously endemic throughout much of the developing world, viral hepatitis now ranks as a major public health problem in industrialized nations. The three most common types of viral hepatitis—A, B, and C—afflict over 500,000 people in the U.S. each year, and millions worldwide. Hepatitis B alone ranks as the ninth leading killer in the world. Hepatitis A, an RNA enterovirus, spread by contact with fecal matter or blood, most often through ingestion of contaminated food. Rarely fatal, it cannot be treated except by bed rest for 1–4 weeks, during which time no alcohol should be consumed. It may recur after 3 months. Hepatitis B is shed through blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and saliva approximately 4–6 weeks after symptoms develop; the virus may take up to 6 months to incubate, and people may also become asymptomatic carriers. Hepatitis B may heal slowly, and is a leading cause of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. Effective vaccines exist, but it is the fastest spreading form of the disease in the U.S., with some 300,000 cases reported annually. Rates were up 80% from 1981–1986 among IV drug users and up 38% during the same period among heterosexuals; among homosexuals, previously a high-risk group, rates held stable. Hepatitis C, infecting about 150,000 Americans annually, remains in the blood for years and accounts for a large percentage of cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer cases. Its main mode of transmission is through blood transfusion, and possibly sexual intercourse. Types D and E are less frequently seen in the U.S.

Thank you so much for your help, Joyce

[Dolores]

For DR travel health related matters, see our Health Page. At the bottom of the page you will find links to the Center for Disease Control of the United States and the World Health Organization web sites that offer comprehensive explanations on travel health matters.

Please excuse my ignorance as to exactly what constitutes content for a proper message. I thought my post to Ms. Joyce was informative and it (the message) certainly qualified as having Dominican content; béisbol, JCesar, language (in the DR), public speech, and the poem "MI PAIS"*, etc.

Rabble Rouser, thank you for your kind words, I appreciate the compliment.

JC, if you responded to my post I don't know and if there were others, well . . . censorship sort of leaves you in the dark.

Regards,

. . . CES

ps. I tried to post this last nite but the server for DR1 was down. . . .

* link to "MI PAIS":

http://www.dr1.com/board/index.cgi?read=29876

My thread entitled "Respect", of all things, was deleted recently. I thought it had some really good content as well. Even though JC likened me to Barney, I thought it was at least a start at a new beginning...oh well. Let it be known that I appreciated the thought behind his words.