 | With Insurance: $10-$40 |
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 | Without Insurance: $85-$300 |
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| A typhoid vaccination, which can be given as a shot or orally, is recommended for travelers going to developing countries, especially outside of resort or tourist areas. The vaccine, which is not 100 percent effective, can prevent typhoid fever, a potentially serious intestinal illness caused by bacteria and spread via contaminated food and water or person-to-person contact. | | |
| Typical costs: | - For patients not covered by health insurance, the cost of a typhoid vaccination typically includes: a consultation fee, sometimes a fee to administer the shot, and the cost of the vaccine -- either a single shot or four capsules. The total cost typically ranges from $85 to $300; the oral vaccine tends to be on the lower end while the shot could be on the higher end if combined with an extensive initial consultation. For example, at the travel clinic operated by the San Francisco Department of Public Health, an initial consultation is $39 and a typhoid vaccination -- shot or oral -- costs $79 for a total of $118. And at Baylor Travel Medicine in Texas, an initial consultation costs $85 to $150, depending on the complexity of the patient's travel itinerary and medical history; a follow-up appointment to administer the shot costs $25 to $85; and the vaccine costs $73 for oral or $99 for a shot, for a total of $183 to $334.
- Many health insurance plans do not cover travel-related vaccinations because they are considered elective. However, some plans that offer preventive benefits do cover them.
- For patients covered by health insurance, typical expenses include a copay of $10 to $40 for the doctor visit and possibly a copay for the vaccination. For example, this BlueCare Direct HMO plan covers travel vaccinations for a $20 copay.
What should be included: | - After an initial consultation to determine that you need the typhoid vaccination, the health care provider will discuss whether you should get the shot or the oral vaccine. According to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fact sheet, the oral vaccine provides immunity for five years, and the shot for two years. Neither type of typhoid vaccine is 100 percent effective; both protect 50 to 80 percent of recipients.
- If you get the shot, the health care provider will administer the vaccine. It is recommended that you have the shot two weeks before any possible exposure.
- If you take the oral vaccine, you will be given four capsules. The provider will give you instructions -- usually to keep the capsules refrigerated, but not frozen, and to take one every other day, with cool liquid, about one hour before a meal. All four capsules must be taken, following instructions exactly, at least one week before exposure.
Additional costs: | - Additional steps should be taken to prevent typhoid fever. The CDC recommends drinking only bottled -- or boiled -- water and using a hand sanitizer that is more than 60 percent alcohol before eating. Purell and Germ-X brands both offer hand sanitizers containing more than 60 percent alcohol, and they can be purchased at most drugstores or online at Drugstore.com; but, it is important to check the alcohol content on the label before you buy.
- The CDC offers guidelines on food and drink safety for travelers.
Discounts: | - Publicly run travel clinics sometimes are less expensive than private clinics.
Shopping for typhoid vaccine: | - Typhoid fever is common throughout the developing world, so the CDC recommends vaccination for travelers going anywhere outside of the United States, Canada, western Europe, Australia or Japan. Travelers going to smaller cities or rural areas, away from areas usually frequented by tourists, and those staying with family and friends might be at even higher risk. And travelers to South Asia are at higher risk for multi-drug-resistant infections that are more difficult to treat.
- The CDC offers a travel clinic locator.
- According to CDC guidelines, travelers with a weakened immune system, such as is caused by HIV/AIDS or cancer, should not receive the oral typhoid vaccine, which is a live vaccine, and should instead get the shot, which is inactivated.
- Side effects of the typhoid vaccine shot can include fever, headache or redness or swelling at the injection site; side effects of the oral vaccine can include fever, headache, abdominal discomfort, nausea, vomiting or, in rare cases, a rash. Either the shot or oral vaccine could cause a severe allergic reaction.
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Material on this page is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Always consult your physician or pharmacist regarding medications or medical procedures.
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Article updated January 2010 |
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