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anonymous
Q: How likely is it to contract hepititis A or B while living in southern China (zhongshan)?
I'm going to be living in zhongshan for a year. I don't want to get vaccinated because of some current health problems.
9 years 33 weeks ago in Health & Safety - China
I got vaccinated before coming here 6 years ago, didn't since then. I live in Foshan (not far from Zhongshan) and never got sick except for the usual cold because of A/C (instant change in temperature when walking in shops or else, best way to catch a cold) and sometimes a day-long diarrhea when eating something not so fresh. Also I never got sick back home as far as I remember, I have an excellent immune system, not sure about weaker people.
It would be foolish to travel there without vacinations.
People get vaccinations before they come here???? Jeez after 7 years, i dont wanna know what I have.
Zhongshan is alright, close to larger cities but not as busy. Its not some wierd jungle village where mosquitoes will give you malaria. Its a city. Stay away from the hookers and youll be free from hep.
expatlife26:
yeah zhongshans alright. My best friends wife is from there. Bit of a factory town but it's definitely got some nice parts. Not a bad place to live.
Well you might get more severe health problems if you don't have your vaccines. Pretty sure some vaccines are mandatory for long term stay in China. Hep B might be one of them. Hep A is rarer but it's still worth having the vaccine just in case.
Edit: What health issues interfere with vaccines? I'm curious.
mike695ca:
What do you mean mandatory?? By word of the chinese? Or your home country?? Ive never heard this......
xunliang:
Some vaccinations are required by China depending on where you come from. I know some countries, including my own, required certain vaccinations.
I don't have any vaccinations since in China, or ever! Am I dead?
Nobody ever demanded anything, and I usually stay away from the Hospitals and Pharmacies.
I had the 1st Hep B vaccination when I came here in 2005 (supposed to protect you for 5 years). I forgot to have the follow-up a year later (which is then supposed to protect you for life!). 9 years later & I'm still healthy with no Hep.
The Hep vaccination is not compulsorary for China (in face I don't think any are!).
Be be careful & keep away from the working ladies & you'll be okay. Zhongshan is a nice, relatively clean city so you'll be okay there. Just pick up the local habit of cleaning your plates, etc before eating with tea.
If you drink & want to get to know peoe quickly there head out to Friends bar, O'Hagens or the new Hooleys. I find Friends bar is the most welcoming.
icnif77:
They wash dishes with tea everywhere. I want to drink it, but then we all wash dishes.
Hotwater:
From what I'd seen the washing of dishes with tea was a Guangdong thing. I was recently in Yunnan (Kunming, Dali, etc) & got strang looks when I washed with tea & even my wife said they didn't do it in that area.
Get the shot. But still remember to use rubbers and wash hands etc.
Scandinavian:
the myth that autism is caused by vaccines is a primary cause of suffering and death of so many children each year. If you really believe that, then you probably need to ask Google for help in adjusting your world view.
Just because she is hot doesn't make her right. Jenny McCarthy is a prime suspect in spawning this myth. She has actually since backed off saying her son "has been cured" aka "he was misdiagnosed"
http://blogs.babycenter.com/celebrities/jenny-mccarthy-autism-son-evan-01042014-misdiagnosed-twitter/
Hotwater:
Fully agree Scandi. There are a lot of myths, disinformation & outright lies perpetuated by the anti-vaxers (or whatever you call them!) that in my view causes a lot more suffering than vaccines. We had this in the UK for years over the MMR vaccine from one quack doctor who has since been dis-credited & struck off the UK doctor list.
expatlife26:
Oh totally. Doctors can diagnose autism earlier than vaccines are given. No link at all and a terrible misconception. Autism is caused by gluten of course.
Scandinavian:
Autism is genetic. You might as well claim that vaccines causes "homosexuality" , which of course we know is caused by pregnant women drinking cola.
expatlife26:
You mean I don't have to worry that a big plate of pasta is going to give me autism?
Scandinavian:
yeah, the biggest thread is usually noodles fried in gutter oil that will give you brain tumors which, until diagnosed might give personality disorders which could be confused with actual personality disorders.
if you have other health problems that prevent getting the Hep A and B shots you should consider other places than China to work.
Should you become ill with either of these, and considering how easily they can be transmitted in some places, the last place you want to end up is a Chinese hospital for treatment. Foreign medication could be hard to come by and expensive.
China can be a challenging environment even for the healthy: one bad experience with street food could do an unknown damage.
talk to a medical professional at home for best advice.
I got vaccinated before coming here 6 years ago, didn't since then. I live in Foshan (not far from Zhongshan) and never got sick except for the usual cold because of A/C (instant change in temperature when walking in shops or else, best way to catch a cold) and sometimes a day-long diarrhea when eating something not so fresh. Also I never got sick back home as far as I remember, I have an excellent immune system, not sure about weaker people.
