Pre-travel Consultations
We are offering travel visits as a convenience for existing patients. Please bear in mind that travel consultations, vaccines, and preventative medicines are not covered by most health insurance plans.
A few things to bear in mind:
- You should expect to encounter out-of-pocket costs for travel vaccines and preventative medicines.
- We are working hard to expand the travel services we have available. At this time we do not have Yellow Fever vaccine because of a manufacturing shortage. We are also working to make Hepatitis A antibody available for infants. These will still need to be obtained at a travel clinic until they are available.
- Traveling with infants under 6 months of age is not recommended unless there is no alternative, because babies this age cannot be vaccinated for measles.
- Travelers going to most parts of tropical Africa and South America are at risk for Yellow Fever and will need to obtain YF vaccine and proof of immunization from the Department of Health.
- Most travel visits should be made at least 4 weeks before departure to allow for full immunity to develop in patients receiving Hepatitis A vaccine, MMR vaccine, or Yellow Fever vaccine with some notable exceptions:
- Children between ages 9 and 48 months of age who need both MMR vaccine (either their first or second dose) AND Yellow Fever vaccine must schedule their first travel visit at least 8 weeks prior to departure. This is because MMR and YF vaccines are both live vaccines, and administration of YF vaccine can interfere with MMR’s immunogenicity if they are not given at least 4 weeks apart.
- Infants under 12 months of age cannot receive Hepatitis A vaccine, but can be protected against Hepatitis A for up to 4 weeks with hepatitis A antibody. This should be given as close as possible to departure.
- Adult travelers will also need travel vaccines and preventative medicines prior to travel. Please note that as we are a pediatrics practice, we do not provide these services to adults. Please contact your doctor for more information about where you can obtain travel vaccines.
Helpful Links
- CDC Travel Website
- Fairfax County Health Department - Carried Yellow Fever Vaccine
- Explanation of Yellow Fever Vaccine Shortage
- GoodRx - Coupons for Travel Prescriptions Not Covered by Insurance
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