Medical preparations

I've taken a cavalier approach to travel in the past, getting vaccinations and medications according to my schedule and convenience. In recent years (as I began to travel further afield, say to China), I tried to keep up with the CDC advisories and make sure I was inoculated for or prepared for exposure to predominant diseases and infections in my destination.

India, like any other large country, has many different regions separated by climatic, topographic and even ethnic divides. Hence there is no one way to be practically prepared for the milieu of diseases one might possibly be exposed to during a trip there.

Malaria, for example. GlaxoSmithKline, the makers of Malarone (the most popular and expensive anti-malarial regimen) had a map in my doctor's office which showed the entirety of South Asia in red (one assumes this is to indicate 'danger').

Jaipur, however, has an extremely dry and high-altitude environment. This map (from the NHS) adds a bit of nuance to the picture:

Likewise, it's difficult to believe that Yellow fever and Japanese Encephalitis occur with the same kind of frequency in both India and China, even though travelers to both countries are advised to receive inoculation for the diseases.

I have packed mosquito netting and repellent, so I have limited my supply of Malarone to a mere twenty tablets. This should protect me for any short trips into Assam or central India. A full list of my inoculations and the medications I plan to bring follow:

Inoculations:

• Rabies
• Typhus A
• Polio
• Hepatitis A, B, C
• Meningitis
• Seasonal & H1N1 Influenza
• Japanese Encephalitis
  

Medications:

• Malarone (twenty 250mg tablets)
• Ciprofloxacin HCL (ten 500mg tablets) - diarrhea
• Azithromycin (ten 500mg tablets) - diarrhea and more serious bacterial infections

Possibly more useful is the set of "general-use" medical supplies I plan to bring.

• Zicam
  
• Airborne
• Maalox
• Imodium AD
• Colace- Stool Softener
• Nexare Bandaids
• Neosporin
• Thermometer - non-mercury
• Finger cots

Tomorrow I will post a complete list of clothing and equipment, with pictures.