How bad is it not taking malaria and typhoid when going to vietnam?

Question

i'm going to vietnam in 6 days.

i didn't take my typloid pill or an injection.

and for malaria pills, you are supposed to take one once a day for 7 days before leaving to vietnam. and i ony took one, which was yesterday.

and thats all the pills i have. i have no more.

so how bad is it going to vietnam for the first time, without having these immunizations???

whats the worst that can happen?

and i still have a chance of taking the typhoid shot, but the thing is that its only effective after 2 weeks. and i'm staying at vietnam for 2 1/2. so the medicine will only be effective for a little bit when i'm there.

should i still take the shot??

Answer 1

You don't say where you are going - that determines your exposure to malaria. If you are in Ha Noi, the risk of malaria is nill. I lived there for 4 years and no one, Vietnamese or expat took any anti-malaria drugs. I traveled down into the central part of the country with regularity, even to a village where a large number of households were suffering with malaria, but I did not get sick (nor did I take anything).

Typhoid, well I can't say about that.

I lived in Zanzibar for 3 1/2 years, took anti-malaria drugs religiously, and used a mosquito net - and got the only case of malaria I ever came down with,and I have lived in malaria zones for many, many years.

Viet Nam is the only place where I have not taken anti-malaria drugs.

Answer 2

You are going to Vietnam in 6 days.  You have plenty of time to get more pills.  If taking the shot is better than taking the pills, then take the shot!

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