Vaccines

Oral vaccine. 2 doses with a minimal interval of one week. The protective efficacy however is low.
Outside its original indication the cholera vaccine provides some protection against travellers´ diarrhoea. Even though this is just risk reduction and not complete protection, it might be of interest for the elderly, travellers with underlying diseases or those with a sensitive digestive system.

The duration of protection against Cholera is only about 2 years, the effects on travellers´ diarrhea only 3 months.

Side effects: very rare. Gastrointestinal complaints like abdominal pain, loose stools, bloating have been reported.

Two doses necessary. Interval between the doses is 3 month – which means quite a bit of preparation time necessary. Duration of protection not yet known.

As the vaccine is still relatively new (European approval end of 2022) the official recommendations are still preliminary.
Recommended for persons who have been infected with Dengue Fever in the past, for longterm travellers and very frequent travellers to Dengue endemic regions.

Side effects: well tolerated live vaccine. As with any live vaccine febrile reactions with head ache and malaise can occur.

Single shot vaccine. Duration of protection VERY long. As with other live vaccines, a second dose at some point might be necessary for lifelong protection.

The vaccine has to be given at least 10 days before departure to be accepted as entry requirement (the vaccine is mandatory for entry into some countries) and has to be given by an official yellow fever vaccination centre (Traveldoc is one of them) and documented in the international vaccination booklet.
Please note: In 2016 the validity of a yellow fever entry in your vaccination booklet has been prolonged to “lifelong” (originally only 10 years) – however, some countries still insist on a vaccine within the last 10 years.

Side effects: well tolerated live vaccine. In rare cases febrile reactions with head ache and malaise can occur.
Very rarely severe complications have been reported (worldwide 70 cases over the course of several decades). These side effects have predominantly been seen in the elderly and exclusively in first vaccinees (not in booster shots)

Basic immunisation series: 2 vaccine doses at an interval of 6-12 months (protection already starts 7-10 days after the first shot). For most vaccinees booster doses are not necessary. Before travelling to high risk destinations, however, it is advisable to check for persistent immunity 10 years after the last dose.

side effects: very rare. Minor local discomfort at the injection site: redness, pain on pressure.

You need 2 doses of Japanese Encephalitis vaccine (at a minimum interval of one week) before your departure.
For continuous protection a third dose after one year is necessary. If at this point you don’t plan travel to Asia, you can postpone this dose.
After dose 3 you will be protected for 10 years.

side effects: very rarely local pain at the injection site. Head ache, muscle pain, fatigue are possible.

For Babys and Teenagers meningococcal meningitis vaccine is part of the routinely recommended childhood vaccines. Thereafter, risk is low and no booster doses are necessary.

However, certain travel regions pose a high disease risk, here the vaccine is important for all age groups. The main area are the African countries south of the Sahara, aptly called the African meningitis belt.

It is a one dose vaccine that gives protection for about 5 years.

There are different meningococcal vaccines used for different indications, for subsaharan travel the quadrivalent vaccine, covering serotypes A,C,W,Y is needed.

side effects: rare, local pain at the injection site, head ache, muscle pain, fatigue.

The classic rabies vaccination schedule consisted of 3 vaccinations given within one month.

For several years it has been clear that a simplified scheme with only 2 vaccinations (at least 1 week apart, preferably 3-4 weeks apart) before the trip offers reliable and safe protection.
Before another trip (at the earliest 1 year after the second vaccination) you do a refresher.
After that you are protected for at least 10 years.
However, since the disease is so dramatic, it is recommended that vaccinated people should have 2 booster vaccinations (immediately and 2 days later) in the event of a suspicious animal bite to be on the safe side.

Side effects: rarely local pain, sometimes headache, body aches, tiredness.

Typhus is a disease that spreads worldwide, and the risk is determined less by the climate than by the hygienic conditions.
In Europe it has practically disappeared for decades.

The vaccination consists of one dose that must be given no later than 10 days before departure. After that, the protective effect lasts for about 3 years, but is not very reliable.
An oral vaccination is also available, but is less effective and even shorter, so it only makes sense in exceptional cases.

Side effects: local pain at the sting site, rarely headaches, body aches, fatigue.

Part of the Austrian child vaccination plan, therefore all Austrians should have received a basic immunization as a child. The following applies to adults: Refresh the diphtheria vaccination every 10 years (from the age of 60 every 5 years). This is best done together with tetanus, whooping cough and polio, which have the same vaccination intervals. If the last diphtheria vaccination was more than 20 years ago, 2 vaccinations at least 4-8 weeks apart are necessary. If no basic immunization was carried out in childhood, 2 vaccinations 4 weeks apart and a third after 6-12 months are necessary. Then refresh again every 10 years.

Side effects: occasionally slight reactions at the vaccination site – redness, swelling, local pain on pressure.

Basic vaccination: 2 vaccinations 4 weeks apart, then another vaccination 9-12 months later. The first booster (i.e. the 4th vaccination) should take place after 3 years. From then on it can be refreshed every 5 years. (For people over 60, it is generally recommended not to extend the refresher intervals beyond 3 years).

Side effects: pain and feeling of tension at the vaccination site. Rarely headache, nausea, muscle and joint pain, tiredness, feeling sick.

Hepatitis B has been recommended for children in the Austrian vaccination plan since 1997. It is found as part of the 6-component vaccine in the first year of life. For adults who want vaccination protection, the following scheme applies: 2 vaccinations one month apart, a third vaccination after 6-12 months. The duration of protection from vaccination varies greatly from person to person, so it is important to check when it is time to get a booster. This can easily be done by taking a blood sample (to determine antibodies), ideally 8-12 weeks after the third vaccination. Since in some people the hepatitis B vaccination “lasts” for life, such an antibody determination can also be financially worthwhile.

Side effects: very rarely local side effects – feeling of tension, swelling at the sting site. In extremely rare cases, joint pain or swelling or central nervous system symptoms have been reported.

Vaccination against shingles is recommended for people over the age of 60.

The disease mainly affects older people, since the age-related decline in the immune system makes it possible for the varicella virus (wet leaf virus) dormant in the body to be reactivated. What is feared is the often protracted nerve pain after the acute phase of the disease.

The originally available live vaccine is no longer recommended because a new inactivated vaccine is significantly more effective.

2 doses are required, 2-6 months apart. It is not yet clear whether later refreshers will be necessary.

Vaccination against HPV (human papilloma virus) protects against cervical cancer, genital warts, as well as anal and vulva carcinoma, penile carcinoma and tumors of the mouth and throat.

A 9-valent vaccine is currently in use (contains characteristics of 9 different HPV viruses, therefore the protective effect is broader than the predecessor with only 4 virus types)

HPV vaccination is part of the free vaccination program for girls and boys aged 9-12.

Up to the age of 15, 2 vaccine doses are required (6 months apart), for older adolescents and adults 3 doses must be administered (month 0 – 2 – 6).

Serious side effects are not described, but the subjective tolerability is often given less well than with other standard vaccinations.

One-time vaccination that protects for about a year. Since influenza viruses are constantly changing, the vaccine is adapted each year to reflect these changes, so it is practically never the same as the year before.

Side effects: rare, mainly local swelling, redness or pressure pain at the sting site. There are very few reports of short-term increases in temperature, pain in the limbs and muscles or tiredness after the vaccination.

part of childhood vaccinations. Is vaccinated in the second year of life together with mumps and rubella in a triple vaccine. Two doses are required.

For adults who are not vaccinated or immune, the vaccination can be made up for at any time. Because immunization schedule recommendations have changed/adjusted over the past several decades, many young adults have not received the recommended two doses.
Coupled with carelessness and a certain vaccination fatigue, this leads to pronounced vaccination gaps in Austria. We are still a long way from the immunization coverage that would be needed for community protection.

For several years, the vaccination has been available free of charge to all persons insured in Austria.

Side effects: as a live vaccine, the vaccination can occasionally cause feverish symptoms, headaches, body aches and tiredness. Sometimes you can also see a transient skin rash, the so-called vaccine measles.

Bacterial meningitis with a pronounced age-dependent frequency. The different types of bacteria are distributed differently around the world. So far, Europe has reported almost exclusively types B and C, while type A dominates in high-risk areas of Africa.
There are two age peaks: the first early years of life, as well as teenage and young adulthood.
In the children’s vaccination plan, vaccination is recommended in the first years of life (the occurrence of bacteria according to type B and C), then at the age of 11-13 the quadrivalent vaccine (type ACWY) is part of the free vaccination program.

Side effects: rare, mainly redness or pressure pain at the sting site. Rarely joint and muscle pain or tiredness after the vaccination.

part of childhood vaccinations. Is vaccinated in the second year of life together with measles and rubella in a triple vaccine. Two doses are required.

For adults who are not vaccinated or immune, the vaccination can be made up for at any time. Because immunization schedule recommendations have changed/adjusted over the past several decades, many young adults have not received the recommended two doses.
Since a mumps infection in adulthood can cause complications (inflammation of the testicles can lead to infertility), young men in particular should ensure that their immunity is secure.

For several years, the vaccination has been available free of charge to all persons insured in Austria.

Side effects: as a live vaccine, the vaccination can occasionally cause feverish symptoms, headaches, body aches and tiredness.

Part of the children’s vaccinations as part of the six-fold vaccine.

In adulthood, pertussis is refreshed every 10 years along with tetanus and diphtheria.

As a special feature, pregnant women are recommended to have a booster booster carried out in the last trimester of pregnancy, preferably from the 35th week of pregnancy, regardless of when the last vaccination took place.
This is intended to give the newborn as many antibodies as possible via the maternal circulation in order to protect it from whooping cough in the first months of life, in the sense of “nest protection”, which takes a particularly dramatic course at this age.

Side Effects: The vaccine is fairly reactogenic, which is a polite term for side effects. Pain, swelling, and redness at the sting site for 2-3 days is quite common.

Part of the children’s vaccinations, with 2 doses in the first year and a booster in the second year of life. Since the disease is practically irrelevant in older children, no further vaccinations are necessary.

For adults over the age of 60, the risk of pneumococcal pneumonia or even sepsis increases. Vaccination is therefore again recommended in this age group.
Vaccination is carried out with two different pneumococcal vaccines: first immunization with the 13-valent vaccine (contains the 13 most common types of pneumococci), one year later the 23-valent vaccine is then boosted again.

Side effects: both vaccines are not particularly well tolerated locally, pain, redness and swelling at the sting site are quite common.

Part of the children’s vaccinations as part of the six-fold vaccine.

For adults, the recommendation for regular booster vaccinations has changed. Since the diseases only occur in a few parts of the world, only 2-3 refresher courses are recommended in adulthood. This is usually done in combination with diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis, a quadruple vaccine is available. However, when traveling to South Asia, to many African countries and in the event of outbreaks in the travel region, it is essential that you have up-to-date vaccination protection. A single vaccine is also available if the combination vaccine is not appropriate. The vaccination protects for about 10 years.

Side effects: the vaccine is well tolerated.

part of childhood vaccinations. Is vaccinated in the second year of life together with measles and mumps in a triple vaccine. Two doses are required.

For adults who are not vaccinated or immune, the vaccination can be made up for at any time. Because immunization schedule recommendations have changed/adjusted over the past several decades, many young adults have not received the recommended two doses.
The rubella infection is particularly feared during pregnancy, since the infection can lead to deformities in the child (rubella embryopathy).

For several years, the vaccination has been available free of charge to all persons insured in Austria.

Side effects: as a live vaccine, the vaccination can occasionally cause feverish symptoms, headaches, body aches and tiredness. Rarely, a transient skin rash occurs (vaccination rubella). Symptoms of the nervous system such as sensory disturbances or paralysis are very rare, but these are temporary and do not cause permanent damage.

Part of the children’s vaccinations as part of the six-fold vaccine.

Adults refresh the vaccination in combination with diphtheria and pertussis (possibly with polio) every 10 years. If the booster is forgotten and it has been more than 20 years since the last vaccination, two booster doses 4-8 weeks apart are recommended.

Side effects: relatively often slight pain, redness and swelling at the sting site. These are stronger, especially if the interval between the last vaccination and the last vaccination is short. In the case of accidents with open injuries – in the absence of vaccination documentation – a tetanus booster is always administered.

Part of children’s vaccinations, but not included in the free vaccination program.

Can be given from the age of 9 months. Two doses of vaccine are required, spaced at least 4 weeks apart.

Side effects: Live vaccine, so feverish reactions are possible. Rarely mild reactions at the sting site. very rarely single blisters resembling chickenpox.