Dr. Paul Auerbach is the world's leading outdoor health expert. His blog offers tips on outdoor safety and advice on how to handle wilderness emergencies.
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Much is written in the wilderness medicine literature about vaccinations (shots given to boost the immune system in order to prevent disease) for travelers. Diseases such as yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, and typhoid can be prevented to some degree by adequate immunization. However, we must never forget that less exotic diseases are also present worldwide, including in the U.S., and that these diseases cause "unnecessary" health problems, in the sense that proper immunization against them, mostly in childhood, would prevent their occurrence.
Here is a list of immunizations (vaccines) that are essential in childhood. These should be administered under the supervision of a pediatrician or other qualifed health care professional:
In addition, influenza vaccine may be administered beginning at age 6 months. At age 5 years (and until the age of 49 years), the intransally administered, live, attenuated influenza vaccine is an acceptable alternative to the intramuscular trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine.
photo courtesy World Health Organization