This morning I had an appointment at the IU Travel Clinic to get a typhoid vaccine. It came to my surprise that typhoid was still a global health concern--in my mind, it's categorized with the Black Plague and other historic diseases--but because the disease is still prevalent in South America, travelers need to be protected.
Medical advances now give two options for typhoid vaccination. You can get a shot that is good for two years, or you can take a few pills and be protected for five years. Obviously, the pill option greatly appealed to me (no shots!), but then the nurse explained the particulars about how to take the medication. Here are the rules:
- You take the pills every other day for one week.
- You take the pills at the same time every day.
- You take the pills with cold water. (Hot water will kill the live agent in the medicine, and ice water, as the nurse explained to me, "won't do you any favors.")
- You take the pills on an empty stomach. After an hour you are permitted to eat.
- You keep the pills refrigerated.
With all the rules, the pill route was becoming less attractive. I also had to sign a form saying that I wouldn't get pregnant while on the typhoid pills. Even with all these specifics, I just didn't feel up to a shot at 8 a.m. The nurse gave me the medication, which comes in a tiny little box, as well as a plastic bracelet that reminds you to take the medication and a mirror sticker where you check off completed days. I guess they have to give cool souvenirs out to get people to take this medication.
I paid and left with my great new swag. I have been sporting my bright orange bracelet that declares "REMEMBER ORAL TYPHOID VACCINE" all day, and I cannot wait to incorporate it into my outfits for the next week.