Question & Answers - 5. Question

Question:

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Dear Madam or Sir,
I will travel with my husband and my 3 children (3 month old , 2 years od and 4,5 years old) in Austria and more specifically at the tyrolian area - Bad Gastein, Alpach and Sankt Anton). We will not go climbing on the mountains but we will visite the surrounding nature for a walk. Do we need to take vaccination? Thank you in advance for your response.

Thank you for your answer!
Yours sincerely,
C.

Answer:

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Dear Family C.,
thank you for your question and proven interest in prevention. The regions you are going to are mostly NOT highly endemic for TBE. Although I don´t know the season you are traveling - your leisure time activities included in the judgement - you´re basically at low risk. This would necessite personal protective measures (like the use of repellents and avoidining close "contact" to nature i.e. direct contact with bushes, lying on meadows, scouting in the wooods etc.) but would not justify the recommendation of vaccination (in terms of risk assessment).
Should you (on the other hand) change your itinerary or have a very high demnd of safety (i.e. not feeling well during travel when not vaccinated, not feeling safe, not being able to enjoy beautiful Austria) you can - of course - consider to get the shots (i.e. two shots prior to departure with a minimal interval of 2 weeks - up to 4 weeks; for the whole family except the 3mo old child) since there is no need to fear severe adverse reactions. In case of going for the vaccination please make sure that the other children get the "junior" variant of the vaccine.
Welcome to Austria, have nice holidays and enjoy your stay!
Dr. Martin Haditsch

DDr. Martin Haditsch
Aö KH der Elisabethinen Linz
Inst. für Hygiene, Mikrobiologie und Tropenmedizin

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