Needles and Ticks

This past Monday most of our family went to get immunized. Beth and I because of this upcoming trip to Europe, Thomas because in May he will be travelling to Mexico as part of a University class, and Joshua for a Hep A booster (he got the first shot before going to Cuba last year with the Luther College Choir).

Since I went to Cuba as well (as a chaperon for the choir) I had to get fewer shots this time around, in fact just one needle. Beth on the other hand got shots in both arms, and poor Thomas got two shots in each arm. There were some sore arms in the household for the next few days! There was also a bit of a sore wallet, but we're hoping our Employee Health Plan will cover some of this expense. However a little preventive medicine is certainly better than getting really sick. In some ways this is a bit like travel insurance, you hope you don't need it, but in the rare circumstance that you do it will be worth every penny paid and much more.

The big question for us is whether or not to get immunized for Tick-borne encephalitis. There are certain spots in Europe where this is an issue, particularly if one is hiking or camping in the rural areas. For our itinerary there really is only one spot of concern, this being Hestra (Beth's grand-father's family farm in Sweden). The area around Göteborg (Gothenburg) has been identified as one area where the ticks can carry this disease, and the Hestra farm is inland from Göteborg about 40 kilometres. So one day in our whole time in Europe we will be in an area where this could be an issue, and even on that one day we probably won't be tramping around in the woods very much. So the probability of getting a tick on us in the first place is very small, and the likelihood of the tick getting a chance to attach itself is even smaller since we will be taking precautions (like using an insect repellent with deet in it) and we will do a close body inspection for ticks after being out in the rural area.

Why not simply get immunized for this, and not worry about it? To put it bluntly, the cost. For both of us to get immunized for this specific disease would cost over $700! That's a lot for a little peace of mind, especially when a little diligence and common sense when in the rural region of Sweden will make sure ticks have no chance to attach themselves to us in the first place (even if we look a little goofy with the sock pulled over our pant cuffs).

So the first round of immunization is done, there will be a booster shot session in 6 weeks. With each item crossed off our to-do list the trip takes on more and more reality. Next week we will be able to purchase some more concert tickets and start booking trains. Slowly it all is coming together.