I've been shot!

...and I survived! This must mean true love for my future child to think I voluntarily have had six vaccinations now for our future trips!!

I know, everybody hates shots. But, I've had a traumatic experience in high school and I always wonder if it will happen again. We were only pricking our finger to test our blood type in Science class. I remember the needle poking my finger and one drop of blood came out. Next thing I know, I woke up on the floor. One student was heckling me because she thought I was faking it. It was so embarrassing and I was sore because I fell backwards on a chair. So, that would explain why I broke into a cold sweat when the lady called to confirm my shot appointment :)


The cheapest place I found to have shots is the county health clinic. Ours was located in a city hall and was super fancy. She prints out all the information on Addis Ababa and reviews it with you. You can decide which ones you feel comfortable getting. We chose:

Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Meningitis
Polio
Typhoid
(already had Tetanus)

and if we travel outside the capital of Ethiopia, we will be going back for:
Yellow Fever
Malaria

If you are thinking about which shots you might get for your trip, remember the Hep A and B are a series of shots and require about 6 months to be complete.

Also, ask your health insurance if they will pay for any of these. When I inquired about "travel shots" they immediately said no. When I called back and asked specifically about Hep A and B, they agreed to pay for that.

The lady at the clinic explained to me "I would not feel like going to Six Flags today" after all those shots. And it was true, I was very tired for two days and ran a fever off and on.

So, now that's done...I'm ready for my referral :)