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travel clinic for vaccinations?

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miniya

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Posted: Sep 02, 2008 - 03:23 PM
Post subject: travel clinic for vaccinations?

Does anyone here know of a good expat-friendly travel clinic or other place where you can get vaccinations in anticipation of a trip?

indyshiu

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Posted: Sep 02, 2008 - 05:06 PM

You can go to one of the expat clinics, ie: Parkway or Shanghai United, but be prepared to pay a lot of money...

Or, you can go to the Shanghai Int'l Travel Healthcare Center at 15 Jin Bang Lu, near Hami Lu. That's the same place where most folks get their healthchecks for residency permits/work visas. Its in a different bldg though. Hours are 8am-11am, 1pm-3pm M-F

The number is: 6268-6171. I was also given this number for booking: 6268-5072. They speak English there and its relatively inexpensive for the jabs. Went there to get my Thyphoid, Tetanus, Hep A, etc updated last year before heading off to S. Africa. They'll give you the yellow booklet to document what vaccinations you've gotten.

miniya

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Posted: Sep 02, 2008 - 05:48 PM

Awesome tip! Yea I had just called up Parkway to ask about prices and they pile on fee after fee so that it'd be upwards of 2000 RMB to get any vaccs done there.

The other place sounds like a good idea, even though it's a little out of the way. Do they give you a consultation first or are you just supposed to walk in and tell them which specific vaccs you want? Are they able to prescribe anti-malarials as well?

Thanks much for the help!

indyshiu

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Posted: Sep 02, 2008 - 08:56 PM

Actually, Parkway refers people there when they don't have a particular vaccination in stock. (or at least they used to).

Anyway, its a little bit of both, you do get a consultation but you should know what you want in advance. The doc can inform you of what types of vaccinations they have. As far as I remember, they do not prescribe anti-malarials. I think they offered us a 'TCM' option (Chinese herbal medicine) if we wanted, but if you're looking for Malarone or Larium, you can only get that from Parkway or SHU and its wickedly expensive.

Don't remember what was the deal with Doxycycline though.. but I don't think they had that. Where are you traveling to and for how long? Is the risk of Malaria very high?

Its about a 30RMB taxi ride from my apt, so that's the western edge of the French Concession. A little bit out of the way, but saves you the minimum 800RMB Parkway doc fees!

miniya

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Posted: Sep 04, 2008 - 02:44 PM

I am traveling to eastern malaysian borneo, where i've been reading online that the incidence of malaria is really high. i'm only there for a week but will be hiking through the jungle and such so would rather play it safe.

maybe it would be worthwhile to go to the local clinic for the jabs and then get just the anti-malarials from parkway? would they give me a prescription for the drugs without having to go through the 800RMB consultation? i don't need their advice, just the actual medicine Razz

indyshiu

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Posted: Sep 04, 2008 - 05:04 PM

I'm pretty sure that Parkway would want you to see the doc first... Which anti-malarials are you going to take? Ordering Malarone here through Parkway/Family United is prohibitively expensive! Something crazy like several GBP per tablet! I'd call/visit the pharmacy next door to Parkway at the Shanghai Center and see if they have Doxycycline. I think that certain antibiotics are available here OTC.

We were in Sarawak two years ago and did take Malarone for that trip. However, while staying in Bako National Park visiting the Probiscus Monkeys (awesome), we didn't heed the warnings about locking the window screens on our cabin. So, some cheeky macaque monkeys raided our room Smile

And, of course, they found our bottle of Malarone on the nightstand and thought it was candy. Of all the things to steal!!! We found them the next morning strewn outside the window and were only able to salvage one or two.

Anyway, when we got back into the city, Kuching, we went into a local clinic and bought Doxycycline for mere pennies, enough to last us the rest of the trip plus the 4 weeks after (that was a drag though, having to take them so long).

So, the point of my long story is, assuming that you are traveling through Kota Kinabalu, you might be able to get some Doxycycline there, if you can't get it in Shanghai.

california2shanghai

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Posted: Sep 05, 2008 - 03:27 PM

Re: malaria issues...

you probably need to take doxycycline or mefloquine/Larium for the area you're traveling to (double check on the cdc.gov/travel website). the former is cheap and requires you to take a pill daily for several days prior to your arrival and then daily for one month afterwards. the latter is much easier to take, only once a week but is not available in China. shanghai united told me they had to order it specially from Hong Kong, which is why it's so expensive.

i got doxycycline, which would involve a visit to the doctor to get a prescription at shanghai united. i don't know if there's a way to get doxycycline without a doctor's prescription from a local pharmacy. if possible, that's probably your cheapest bet, though you'd have to take a pill every day. i got malaria once in kenya, though, so since then i've been really careful about taking prophylaxis.

indyshiu

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Posted: Sep 05, 2008 - 04:07 PM

Okay, here's the skinny.. I called the two pharmacies in town that I know cater to foreigners.

Huashi Pharmacy, 2nd Floor Shanghai Center/Portman (one I mentioned above):
Does not carry Doxycycline
But (fyi) does carry Cipro, Z-packs and Ceclor OTC
6279 8090

Parkway Community Pharmacy (NOT affiliated with Parkway Health Clinic)
Pudong
DOES carry Doxycycline, but would need a Doc's prescription. However, a local doc would suffice and they can arrange it for you for 50RMB
The cost of bottle of 100pills - 100mg each is 118RMB
They can deliver to Puxi via courier for 30RMB next day, or 50RMB same day

They can also special order Malarone through HK, but only with a Foreign Doc's RX (since the local docs don't know Malarone). Cost is 1,089RMB for pack of 12 pills.

http://www.parkwaycommunitypharmacy.com/en/default/default.aspx

Larium is not available, even by special order. Personally, I'd chose Malarone over Larium anyway, because of the minimal side effects.

miniya

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Posted: Sep 08, 2008 - 11:19 AM

That's fantastic! Sounds like Parkway Community Pharmacy is the answer, then. Thanks so much for going to the trouble of calling to find out.

When you say "they can arrange it for you for 50RMB" does that mean they can arrange the prescription from a local Doc for you? or do i still have to go find a local Doc myself to get a presciption?

Are there side effects to Doxycycline? I've read that you have to take it for a month after you get back instead of just a week after you get back for Malarone so it's more trouble, but aside from that, would there be any reason not to opt for the Doxycycline over the Malarone? Just seems it would be easier to not have to special order from HK and all that, plus it's significantly cheaper.

The only activity I'm doing that I've heard could have a conflict with anti-malarials is scuba diving, but the chart I saw online said neither Doxycycline or Malarone would give me problems. Hopefully that's consistent with what you all have heard too?

indyshiu

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Posted: Sep 08, 2008 - 12:09 PM

Quote:

When you say "they can arrange it for you for 50RMB" does that mean they can arrange the prescription from a local Doc for you? or do i still have to go find a local Doc myself to get a presciption?

Yes, they can get the Rx for you and will charge 50RMB on top of the cost of Doxycycline.

The only notable side effect of Doxy that I'm aware of is photo-sensitivity, meaning it makes you more sensitive to the sun. So, you'll potentially burn easier if you're prone to that. But, since you'll be outdoors, I'm sure you'll be using sunblock anyways.

No real other reason to not go on the Doxy. I don't dive, so can't help you with that question.

miniya

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Posted: Sep 09, 2008 - 11:28 AM

super helpful, thanks so much for all the advice!

jTyler

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Posted: Sep 11, 2008 - 06:57 AM
Post subject: Immunization

Hi All, my parents are travelling to Shanghai in November. On the subject of health. Is there any immunizations that they need to get for themselves before they get here? They are in their late 60's and early 70's.

Janis

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miniya

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Posted: Sep 11, 2008 - 11:53 AM

where are they coming from and how long are they staying? if they are coming from the US, there are a number of travel clinics that specialize in this sort of consultation that they can go to. if they are not staying long, it might not even be necessary at all.

miniya

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Posted: Sep 11, 2008 - 11:58 AM

indyshiu wrote:

i went to the shanghai international travel healthcare center today and it went really smoothly. the doctor did give me a consultation, although his recommendations were somewhat contrary to what i'd read online (i.e. he recommended cholera when i didn't read that i needed it, and then he said i didn't need yellow fever, which i had read that i did need), but he seemed like he knew what he was talking about so i felt comfortable enough trusting his recommendations over my internet source.

also, pleasant surprise, they DID have prescriptions for doxycycline after all. i had already gotten a bottle from the other pharmacy you recommended in pudong (which actually worked like clockwork exactly as you described), but if i had needed, i could've gotten it all done in one place. PLUS they even had mosquito repellant with Deet on-hand, which was another vital supply i had been combing the city for. the total bill including the Deet, the cholera jab and the consultation came to 261 RMB. The cab ride was about 60 round trip, so totally worth it compared to the expat clinics.

hopes this proves helpful to the next person that needs it!

indyshiu

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Posted: Sep 11, 2008 - 05:24 PM

miniya, great to hear that things worked out. Sorry about the Doxy thing, I could have sworn they didn't have any last year. Or maybe they were just out? Anyway, thanks for the follow up report.

Do you know what the percentage of DEET is in the bug spray?

Ludivine

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Posted: Sep 16, 2008 - 02:40 PM

Mosquito repellant with DEET:
I went last friday to shitc...

Where there did you get the deet mosquito repellant?
How about the price and percentage of deet?

I went to Carrefour as suggested in a recent thread but could not find DEET mosquito repellant.

I am looking for at least 25 % DEET solution.

Thanks!

miniya

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Posted: Sep 17, 2008 - 12:59 PM

the deet repellant actually comes in a cream/lotion form and i don't have it on me right now but i believe it has the requisite 25% that is recommended by the CDC in the US to be effective. i didn't think i would like the cream form, but i gave it a test run this weekend while hiking through moganshan and it seems to work pretty well. in fact, i think it gives you better coverage than sprays normally do because you're forced to smooth it over all of your skin instead of just spraying and hoping you didn't miss a spot.

at the clinic, the DEET lotion only costs 25 RMB, but i don't know if they will sell it to you without it being part of a visit. you can call them at the number listed above and ask. i spoke mandarin to them but they do speak English as well. before i realized i could get deet at the clinic, i had also found this online:
http://www.shanghaitoyclub.com.cn/index.php?page=shop.product_details& flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=196&category_id=24&manufacturer_id=0&o ption=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1

it's a woman who runs a small business out of her home that sells and rents out children's products in shanghai. she happens to stock repellant with DEET and you can call her to pick some up from her place near hua shan rd: 135 6433 5442 . i believe she's from new zealand so speaks English natively. at least she said the repellant was imported from NZ so no fear of it being fake Chinese stuff (which was my concern with the stuff from the clinic until i tried it this weekend and it worked)

next on my list i am looking for some good outdoors stores so i can buy a new hiking backpack and hiking boots. i found this online and am going to check it out: http://www.sanfo.com but does anyone have any suggestions on better places to go?

niubi

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Posted: Oct 08, 2008 - 03:39 PM

indyshiu wrote:

really great information, thanks for posting!! I had no idea those guys did vaccines. 150rmb for typhoid vaccine.

united family wanted 450hkd for the shot, +400-1000rmb for the visit (price varies based on how healthy the doctor thinks I am). didn't try parkway, but would expect the same

Zinger

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Posted: Nov 07, 2008 - 09:36 AM

I'll be going to get a typhoid jab next week. I live in Wuxi and need some advice on how best to get to shanghai international health center. I will go to shanghai by train, i guess i will arrive at the west train station....what next?

thanks,
PS. i noticed that the vaccination is made in China, and as a result? is cheaper? did anyone who got the shots done (here or away) have any side effects?

indyshiu

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Posted: Nov 07, 2008 - 11:28 AM

^Take a taxi or... take the metro, then taxi.

You'll be at arriving at the Main Railway Station, so you can take Metro Line #3 towards the South Railway Station for 5 stops. Transfer at Zhongshan Park station to Metro Line #2, going towards Songhong Lu. Take 3 stops to Beixinjing Lu and take a short taxi ride to the clinic.

Call to make a booking ahead. I believe its in Bldg #3, 2nd floor.

http://www.exploreshanghai.com/metro/

sam95

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Posted: Nov 15, 2008 - 09:12 AM

Better go up to the Terminus station Songhong Lu. Exit to Taishan Lu or Songhong Lu then take a taxi to Jinban Lu/Hami Lu for 11 yuan.
The Vaccination Center is a Western style and ranked high. My daughters and I got Hepatitus Vaccinations there and the vaccins were all from USA's GlaxoSmithKline firm.