Here at the ILP office we get this question all the time.
Receiving travel vaccinations is usually a personal decision. Some ILP volunteers get vaccinations to prepare for their trips, others don't. It really depends on the country you're going to as well as your personal health choices, along with some country requirements.
What's Required + What's Up To You
While there are standard vaccinations that are generally required for travel, there are some countries that actually require that travelers have specific vaccinations to enter and they check at the airport when you arrive. If you've volunteering in an country with ILP that has those requirements, your ILP representative will let you know so you can factor that into your timeline (many require a series that need to be completed in specific intervals) and budget.
If you're an ILP volunteer, we'll let you know if there's anything required for the country you're heading to ... otherwise we leave that decision completely up to you. Here's a few resources to help you decide what's best for you though.
Some Helpful Resources
Talk To Your Doctor Or An Advisor
Your physician is a great person to talk to, so if you're going in for an annual type of checkup anyways that's a great time to let them know you'll be traveling. There are also travel clinics out there that would be a good resource. You make an appointment to go in, and at the appointment they will cover all recommendations for the country you're traveling to. You can also receive vaccinations there for any you choose to get.
If you do a Google search for something like "travel clinics near me", several will likely pop up. I did a quick search for clinics in the Utah area and this resource came up with tons of options. Just keep in mind that some clinics require that you pay a fee to make an appointment, so do a little research to see what that is, if any.
Look Online
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention is a handy site to check out. This is the official go-to site for site for health news or announcements, including for travelers. Just type your country in the search bar and see what pops up. They'll have advice for traveling to that country and may outline vaccinations.Parents
Your parents might have a lot to say about what vaccinations you do or don't get before going abroad. ILP is all about making sure volunteers and their parents are on board, so get them in the loop if they are your usual resource for help.
Still have a couple of questions?
Come talk to an ILP representative who has volunteered with us before. Drop your information below and we'll reach out to you via text as soon as we can.
