Vaccinations during pregnancy

[OuiOui]

I'm 3 months pregnant and may be going to Bangkok over the next month or so. also we'll be going with dd who is 14 months. What's the situation with vaccinations? can we both have them???

Ouioui, I was advised against a trip to S.Africa because it involved going to a malarial area when I was just a few weeks pregnant and I couldn't take antimalarials. not sure about the other stuff.

As far as I remember, the advice is always 'if the benefits outweigh the risks'. So best to see you GP or, better, contact a specialist travel clinic for advice. SHould think it is OK for your dd (I have friends who were missionaries in Nepal and twice took a 4 month old fully vaccinated with no problems ) (2 different 4 month olds, IYSWIM).
I have another friend who went to India when 5 months pg and took antimalarials, and her Dad works in travel medecine, but I think the drugs for Thailand are stronger.

OuiOui, as far as malaria goes, as long as you stay in Bangkok there shouldn't be any risk of malaria. If you are going to the beaches though, you will definately need to check as there was an outbreak of dinghy fever recently and was a major cause of concern. I'm not sure about children though...of course you should check with your GP . Don't take anything antimalarial if you can help it.

OuiOui, there are other things you can do to help avoid malaria other than pills. Make sure that in the evening you and dd wear long sleeves/trousers and any bit of you that is showing is covered with a mosquito repellent that contains DEET (the only thing that is Really proven to work). Malaria is only caught from mosquito bites.

OuiOui, in addition to SofiaAmes's advice, try to make sure your clothing is light coloured rather than dark (eg white) as mossies are less likely to be attracted. I had the same dilemma when I travelled to Laos as I was told it was malaria season...I knew I would be planning a family soon and didn't want to take the pills so decided to take all other precautions instead. Some people seem to be more prone to getting bitten than others. Good luck!