The 5-minute guide to travel vaccines
Published by
Lily Kam, M.D. & Jim Hellinger, M.D.
on
Summer vacation season is almost here, and some of your patients may ask about travel vaccines.
Preparation is important to help travelers stay healthy before, during, and after travel. Your patients should know how to recognize and reduce risks while travelling, such as illnesses transmitted by insect bite (including malaria), altitude sickness, and deep venous thrombosis with long trips. Clean food and water are not uniformly available in some areas so early treatment for diarrhea is often necessary.
Vaccinations are very effective and covered by AllWays Health Partners. Travel medicine teams will review vaccination records to make sure your patients are protected with both routine and travel vaccinations including oral and injectable typhoid vaccinations, Japanese Encephalitis vaccination, hepatitis A and B vaccines, measles vaccination, and more. The measles cases in the US are typically brought by returning, non-immune, exposed travelers and then spread locally.
For more information re: the appropriate vaccines and medications prior to travel, please refer to travel vaccine information from the CDC, which also includes information re: travel clinics in your area.
Yellow fever vaccine availability, access, and reimbursement
Stamaril, the only Yellow fever vaccine currently available in the USA, may only be obtained at limited travel clinic locations including 9 clinics in Eastern Massachusetts. The CDC anticipates a shortfall in production through the end of 2019. As the manufacturer scales up production, it is available with only limited distribution in the US. It is comparable in safety and benefit and used in more than 70 countries around the world.
CDC advises travelers going to areas of risk for yellow fever to schedule their appointment 1-2 months before travel and to anticipate potential shortages and delays in getting vaccine. Please refer to the CDC information about Stamaril clinic locations.
Since the Stameril vaccine does not have standard FDA approval, it cannot be billed directly by the clinic to the health plan. Our members will need to pay the travel clinic for the Stamaril vaccine and submit payment receipts to AllWays Health Partners for reimbursement.
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