Vaccinations

All travel carries with it inherent risks of encountering diseases and illness.  Travel also carries with it the risk of the traveller bringing in disease or illness to the people they are visiting.

To best protect our students and the communities we partner with, the following list of vaccinations are required, and for some recommended. Some of the community members we visit are medically vulnerable, and may be too young to be vaccinated or have compromised immune systems, so it is important that we as students and staff keep them safe by making sure we are up to date on our vaccinations.

All of the following vaccinations are available in Thailand for a reasonable cost.  Most of these are the same as routine and required childhood vaccinations in the United States and other countries. Please check your medical records to see if you already have these.

We will visit a health clinic during the first week if any students need boosters or vaccinations for the program.

Being up to date on your vaccinations is required for participation in all ISDSI programs. If in the rare case you have a medical condition that prevents you from being vaccinated with a specific vaccine, you will be required to provide a letter from a medical doctor.  In some cases (e.g. TB) this may mean you cannot participate in the program due to Thai government regulations.

This is not an exhaustive list.  Please talk to a medical doctor about any additional vaccinations, including boosters, that they might recommend.

Required

The following vaccinations are required by the Thai government health authorities, as well as recommended by the World Health Organization.

• BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin): against Tuberculosis (TB)
• DPT (Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus): childhood vaccine in the US
• Polio: childhood vaccine in the US
• MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella): childhood vaccine in the US
• Varicella (Chickenpox): childhood vaccine in the US
• Hepatitis A: childhood vaccine in the US
• Rotavirus (Rota): childhood vaccine in the US
• Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib): childhood vaccine in the US
• Pneumococcal: childhood vaccine in the US
• Japanese Encephalitis (JE): Recommended for travel to Thailand over 1 month. You can wait to get this in Thailand, since the cost is significantly less than in the US.
• Hepatitis B
• Typhoid

Additional recommendations

The following vaccinations are recommended by Thai health authorities as well as the World Health Organization.

• Influenza
• COVID-19 vaccine
• Human Papillomavirus Virus (HPV)

Please contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions.