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Can you tell me exactly what travel vaccinations I will need on the telephone or via email?
No... since the vaccinations you need depends on a number of factors: on you, your age, your health status, your previous immunity, your trip ( duration, country, season, accommodation and activities). Also, such specific telephone advice would leave us potentially liable and open to litigation. Providing a vaccination list as per a country destination is not good travel medicine practice. It is a myth that there are agreed list of vaccination recommendations for each and every country in the world.
However, for those of you that do insist, we have a 'Country Report' on the left hand menu of our website where you can select the country you are travelling to from the CDC website. This will give you a general idea of what you need to consider for your trip.
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I know what vaccinations I need, so do I need to consult the travel doctor?
Yes... or that leaves us potentially liable and open to litigation. Also having travel immunisations 'herd like' without consultation is poor medical practice.
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What will it cost?
- Single adult appointment - $85 (~ 40 mins with doctor > nurse 15 mins)
- 2 to 4 adults 25% discount - $60 each (so bring along your travelling companion)
- 5 or more adults 40% discount - $45 each
- If you require only a malaria or medical kit consult, the fee per traveller is $35
- If we have seen you before & you are now off to a new destination, the new trip appointment fee is $50
- We offer special appointment rates for family, groups, scholar and junior rates
- There is no fee for our travellers requesting our doctors advice + assistance while travelling
- The vaccine costs are per dose and separate and will be clearly explained to you
- If you are unsure about vaccine costs, rather have the full travel medicine consult only, then plan the vaccines for a later date
- Vaccine costs vary in price from $25 to as high as over $200 for specialised vaccines like Japanese Encephalitis.
- The Yellow Fever vaccine costs $85, Hepatitis A is $95 and the combination Hepatitis A+B is $95
- Tetanus/Diptheria is $25 (avoid this 2 in 1 combination as no pertussis protection), Tetanus/Diptheria/Pertussis $35, and the 4 in 1 combination of Tetanus/Diptheria/Pertussis/Polio is $95
- Some vaccines appear expensive but give you lifelong immunity
- Total approx costs for a first time : consult + vaccines for a standard trip eg. 14 days to Asia (tetanus, diptheria, pertussis, polio, hepatitis, typhoid) is $250 +
- 'Off the beaten' track travel may involve more specialised vaccines eg rabies and will increase the total cost of consult + vaccines to ~ $400 +
- If you require a prescription for any medication the script fee is $15
- We keep our prices as reasonable as possible, yet deliver a high quality travel medicine service to our travellers
- We purchase our travel vaccines in bulk and pass the discounts onto you
- We receive no funding from the government for consulting you or for our staff
- Your medical insurance company will usually cover the costs of the consultation, however the vaccine costs are not usually covered as they are considered to be preventative !
- We accept Eft pos, Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Cheques - all invoices to be paid on the day
- All prices quoted are subject to change
- Our retail products are very competitively priced and can be purchased online
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What to bring to your appointment
- Past vaccination records, ' yellow book ' , plunket book if available (and if there are any inconsistencies with your prior vaccine records, we will point it out to you and may even recommend blood tests)
- Your passport if you are having the yellow fever vaccine
- Details of your trip itinerary
- List of all medical conditions and medications
- If you are unsure of previous disease or immunisations, we can request blood tests for immunity eg. measles, chicken pox and hepatitis ( NB: antibody blood results need to be interpreted in the context of what you may have had or not had in the past). Some blood tests may be chargeable by the laboratory eg. rabies
- Do try to get to us on time, so we don't have to rush your consultation
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How long before should I book?
- Plan as early as possible, 6- 8 weeks before departure
- We are currently booked a week in advance and 3 weeks for Saturday appointments
- However, if you are leaving at short notice, remember 'it's never too late to vaccinate' eg hepatitis A can be administered on your way to the airport and it will be effective !
- Late is better than never, and we will do our best to fit you in
- Feel free to come in anytime, browse, talk to our nurses so you know what to expect before you book an appointment with our travel doctor
The earlier the better for good reasons :
- You can better plan what is best for you
- Some vaccination require several doses eg. rabies ( 3 doses)
- Some immunisations take time to give you protection
- Some malaria tablets need to be tested well before your travel
- Minimise any possible side effects while away
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How long will I have to be at the clinic ?
- The first consult is approx 60 minutes ( doctor > nurse)
- If you have any vaccinations at the same time then allow for a further 15 minutes
- Feel free to bring a friend along, however only the booked traveller is consulted by the doctor
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What will happen during my visit ?
- You will be received by our staff
- Fill out a comprehensive questionnaire on ‘you, your health, your trip’ which takes approximately 5 minutes to complete
- You will then be consulted by the travel doctor ( 30-40 minutes)
- The travel doctor will discuss the issues and risks for your trip eg. food and water, health hazards, altitude, insects and animals, malaria, dengue, deep vein thrombosis, womens issues, medical kits, travel insurance, safety and security, and environmental concerns.
- Following the consultation, a personalised vaccination schedule is generated for you
- Our philosophy is not to administer vaccinations unless medically necessary, rather discussing the disease risks, weighing the pros and cons with you
- We will recommend what vaccines you need to protect yourself , you can then decide
- Please don't commit to a course of vaccines if you cannot complete eg hepatitis A and B
- The vaccines can be administered at the same time by our doctor or at a later date that suits you. We will advise the vaccine combinations and time frame to have the vaccines
- All vaccines given and blood results are documented on the official " International Health Regulation Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis'" - issued by the NZ Ministry of Health
- After the vaccines are administered , you will be consulted by the nurse (15 min)
- Allow 45 – 60 minutes of time for your first visit
- Browse our retail 'store' while we finish your paperwork
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Can I go to my family doctor for travel advice & vaccines? Why should I come to you?
- GP’s usually refer their travellers to a travel clinic.
- At the travel clinic you get specialist advice regarding vaccines, malaria information, insect avoidance measures, medical kits, water filters, compression stockings, deep vein thrombosis, travel insurance etc.
- It is a one-stop shop for healthy and safe products and covers the A - Z of travel health.
- We give you the latest, correct, up to date information (not advice that may be inconsistent )
- We provide you with the official "New Zealand Ministry of Health - International Health Regulations Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis " which you can use for the rest of your travelling life. This certificate is only available at travel clinics.
- You save time and money by not having two travel consultations, and possibly inappropriate immunisations and vaccination dosing schedules.
- Our travel vaccines are very competitively priced and similar priced if not better than medical centres, as we pass our bulk purchase discounts to you
- We send your family doctor a copy of your visits to our travel clinic.
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How will I feel ?
- The side effects of vaccines are minor
- You do not need to go without food before you have vaccinations or blood tests
- You can do all your usual activities after the immunisations
- Do drink lots of water after vaccinations as side effects are minimised if you are well hydrated, and avoid or reduce alcohol consumption
- If you don’t feel well after the 'jabs'’, then take it easy
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What are the side effects of the jabs ?
- There is no ‘gain without pain’, eg the tetanus injection may cause a deep lump or redness and hardness that persists for a few weeks.
- You can drive, work, gym but best to take it easy on the day of the jabs
- Expect local pain and discomfort which may last for a few days
- The next day you may feel tired, sore body, slight temperature and may develop tender enlarged glands ( lymph nodes in the armpit or neck )
Drink lots of water, avoid more than your usual alcohol for a day or two, take it easy or rest if you feel queasy. Use an ice pack and an arm sling if you have a red arm and take paracetamol if you have body aches and/or a fever.
If you still feel unwell, please give our doctor a call and we will consult you at no charge .
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Questions & Answers 
