Immunizations for Your Destination
An African safari, a business trip to Beijing, a trek to the summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro: each trip has a different level of risk. However, there are ways to prevent or manage those risks. The Zika virus may be making current headlines, but other infections are also possible in many countries – yellow fever, malaria, typhoid, pertussis, measles, hepatitis, and traveler’s diarrhea are a few examples which are preventable with vaccines or prophylactic medications.
Prior to international travel, it is important to consult a travel health specialist for optimal disease prevention. The pharmacists at Martins Compounding & Wellness Centers are available for personalized travel consultation. They will develop customized recommendations for your specific travel destination. Those recommendations may include travel vaccines, recommendations for international travel with all medications, and ancillary measures such as use of sunscreens, insect repellents, and medications for traveler’s diarrhea prevention or treatment.
All patients over the age of 14 can be immunized in the pharmacy with the recommended vaccines without a prescription from your physician. For those younger than 14, pharmacists will consult with the physician/pediatrician to obtain a vaccine prescription to be administered by the pharmacist. Written vaccines records including yellow fever certificates will be provided to ensure that each patient has a permanent medical record of vaccines administered.
The pharmacy team at Martins Wellness has three locations which stock these vaccines or can special order them for administration at each location: Dripping Springs Pharmacy, Lamar Plaza Drugstore, and Lake Hills Pharmacy. No appointment is necessary, but telephone or in-store consultation with the pharmacist prior to your vaccine visit will ensure availability of each vaccine recommended.
Don’t let a lack of planning ruin your trip! Visit a Martins Wellness location early in your planning stages as your passport to health.
Angela Solis, RPh
Angela Solis is a clinical pharmacist and immunization consultant for Martin's Compounding & Wellness Pharmacies with three locations in the Austin area. Contact [email protected]
