It's less than two months until my trip to Colombia and I finally got my yellow card, the internationally recognized proof of yellow fever vaccination. Woohoo!
 |
| Passport to travel safely! |
Since I'm on the lovely cut-rate health plan where my primary care physician can tell me what's wrong but can't fix it, I hopped on over to the
Adult Immunization and Travel Clinic in the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Well, I made an appointment, then hopped over. You wouldn't think that the place is buzzing but it is small. Also, I swear that the clerk on the phone told me my appointment was at 3 PM but when I checked in, a very nice and slightly sassy lady told me that my appointment was at 2:50 PM. Good thing I arrived at 2:49 PM!
The
prices are a touch steep but don't let the $49 travel consultation deter you. The nurses at the Travel Clinic know a lot. They can dissect a country and tell you where the high risk areas are for yellow fever and malaria (which is not recommended for Colombia unless you're going to the Amazon.) My nurse was very thorough and gave me some advice on other issues that my PCP didn't say. All in all, I feel like I got better care at the health clinic than I do when I go to my PCP. That helps to mitigate the $149 price tag on my yellow fever shot.
By the way, the card is valid for ten years. Don't consider it an expense, consider it an investment in your journey!
No comments:
Post a Comment