If you’ve been keeping up with my recent posts, I keep mentioning the hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccines over and over again. I consider them my go-to vaccine when I speak to patients at the pharmacy about what they should consider for their travel, just because it is such an easily preventable disease.

So What is Hepatitis A and B Exactly?

Without turning this into a lecture, both are infectious diseases that affect your liver. Hepatitis A is generally transmitted through contaminated foods and waters, while hepatitis B is transmitted through blood and bodily fluids.

If you’re unlucky enough to catch them, some of the symptoms you could get would be nausea, vomiting, fever, jaundice, and diarrhea. Most cases of hepatitis A will resolve on their own, but hepatitis B can sometimes lead to scarring of your liver (cirrhosis) and liver damage. 

Why Should You Care?

A lot of times when people are on vacation, they tend to let down their guard. They’re more willing to try new foods because it’s part of the culture (Something I’m guilty of). Or maybe they’re at a resort and trust that all hygiene guidelines have been strictly followed. You’re just a bit more relaxed about things you’d normally think twice about…

But relaxing and letting down your guard is part of the fun of travelling. Your risk of exposure will be different compared to being at home since you’ll be trying lots of new foods and activities.

By understanding where these risks exist, you can significantly reduce your chances of catching them and ruining your trip. Prevention is always the best whether it be through avoidance or certain activities, or vaccination.

So Do You Actually Need These Vaccines?

This is a deeply personal choice, and I will never tell you what you absolutely should or should not get on this blog.

Your vaccine needs will vary depending on your trip. 

What I like to do is I like to look at the destination and consider if food and water sanitation standards are inconsistent. I also consider if health care is easily accessible there or not.

The type of travel I will be doing also plays an important factor. For example, staying at a 5 star hotel in Cancun would have a much different risk than if I were to take a food tour in Hanoi. The more adventurous the trip, the more I lean towards getting vaccinated.

Some activities that I have spoken about with patients going abroad include tattoos and piercings, as well as medical procedures. In these cases I would consider the hepatitis B vaccine for myself because of the nature of these activities and how they can introduce viruses and bacteria into us. 

At the end of the day, I always recommend you speak to a healthcare professional before going on trips that you are a bit more weary of to find out what your needs should be. You don’t need every travel vaccine in the book, but it is good to get an understanding of what your travel style is and what actually applies to your trip.

And for me, hepatitis A and B are usually part of that conversation because they’re some of the most relevant and preventable diseases.