40 years ago, James Bond, aka Roger Moore, was featuring in the premier of the hit movie, The Man With the Golden Gun, which screened in late December 1984. Every viewing thereafter was whetting the appetite of those with a spirit of adventure. It inspired many who fancied hopping on a plane and exploring the movie’s key locations – Thailand, Macau (Macao) and Hong Kong.
With stunning cinematography and what was, back then, a fair degree of intrigue with regard to such exotic and far-flung places, thousands would have been keen to experience Thai beaches and bays, and the colours and vibrancy of Hong Kong harbour, for themselves.
Travel health information for Thailand, Macau and Hong Kong
Four decades on, the likelihood of such exploration is even greater. These Asian destinations have become popular with mainstream travellers, cruise passengers and gap year travellers alike. With stunning scenery and things to see and do – including a Disneyland resort in Hong Kong – these destinations are very much on the wish list of many of those with wanderlust.
But what do you need to consider from a travel health perspective, in terms of travel vaccinations and malaria medication, if sailing around Phang Nga Bay in Thailand, or journeying through the Chao Phraya Valley like 007? Would the travel health considerations be different if you headed to Thon Buri in Thailand, where James Bond also ventured? And what if, instead, you are keen on visiting the Floating Macau Palace or Hong Kong’s Kowloon Peninsula or Tai Po district?
Which vaccinations do you need for Thailand, Macau and Hong Kong?
Until recently, being able to plot exactly where your itinerary would take you, and cross-referencing your exact destination locations with the current health picture in those precise places, was impossible. At best, you would probably get country-wide information with regard to what diseases had been reported within that country’s borders.
Similarly, there were no ‘filters’ when it came to telling you about vaccination requirements. By that, we mean the seasonality of diseases in some locations, or the need to perhaps better protect yourself, according to your own individual health situation or age, or in light of the activities you intended to engage in on arrival.
Thankfully, there is now a way – thanks to advanced technology and the Pinpoint Travel Health service – to gain clarity on all of these points and tailor travel health and vaccination and antimalarial advice to you and your individual trip and plans.
Pinpointing the travel health vaccinations required in south-east asia
In terms of Thailand, this means being able to understand precisely which vaccinations you require, over and above those recommended for most travellers, which are the hepatis A and tetanus vaccinations. You should be able to drill down into your trip and ascertain whether you and your plans also make vaccination against rabies, Japanese encephalitis, hepatitis B, tuberculosis and typhoid a wise decision.
You will also be able to determine, with the help of the Travel Health Brief produced by Pinpoint Travel Health, whether you need anti-malarial treatments. This is very dependent on to where you will travel within Thailand and then on you as an individual. With mefloquine resistance noted in Thailand, you should also be able to take your Brief and tell your chosen travel clinic which anti-malarials should be provided, if the service shows that some protection against malaria is advisable.
Yellow fever certification for south-east Asia
The Travel Health Brief will highlight that entry into Thailand requires yellow fever certification, if you have travelled from a country in which the disease is present or have spent more than 12 hours in transit in the airport of such a country. There is no yellow fever risk in Thailand, so you will not require certification if you have not been exposed to this health risk elsewhere.
This same yellow fever certification requirement exists in Hong Kong and Macau too, if you have arrived from another country where the disease is noted.
For safe, healthy travel in both of these Asian countries, you are likely to require a tetanus vaccination. However, things are often far more vague when it comes to whether or not you require vaccination against hepatitis A and B, Japanese encephalitis, rabies, tuberculosis and typhoid. That uncertainty can be removed, if you order a Travel Health Brief from Pinpoint Travel Health.
Planning your vaccinations for Thailand, Macau and Hong Kong
If you do intend exploring Asia and stepping into James Bond’s shoes, do your travel health planning in the most precise way possible and turn to your ‘secret’ agent, who has done all the background work for you. Simply order a Travel Health Brief from Pinpoint Travel Health and you will get the answers you seek.
A Travel Health Brief will steer you towards the right vaccinations and antimalarials for your unique trip but also potentially save you money on vaccinations and treatments that you really don’t require, on the basis of where you will venture. If you want clarity about travel vaccinations and antimalarials, the name’s Pinpoint … Pinpoint Travel Health.