Question

Question about travel vaccinations to Egypt

29 May 2007. Related: All topics.

I am looking at going to egypt and don’t have any vaccinations except hep A & B.

Is it safe for me to have the required ones, and also malaria tablets?

I am currently on steroids and ARVs including protease inhibitors.

Answer

Answer: Simon Collins

Hi there

For advice on any travel vaccinations, your GP is likely to be better informed than your HIV doctor. This will include up-to-date reference charts for vaccinations in each country, and even for different regions in each country, and include advice for HIV-positive travellers.

If you don’t want to go to your GP for any reason (you normally need to go at least 6 weeks before you travel) then any of the independent travel centres should be able to help, and they will also be aware of special restrictions for HIV-positive travellers.

This basically involves using inactivated vaccinations rather than vaccines that include a live virus.

If the risk of non-vaccination are very high, then if your CD4 count is strong, certain live vaccines may be okay.

The best immunisation guidelines are from the British HIV Association, available to download as a PDF file from the BHIVA website.

Malaria tablets are generally fine, although atovaquone and other antimalarials may interact with protease inhibitors (and possibly NNRTIs). Choice of malaria prophylaxis is dependent on the region you are travelling too, but checking on drug interactions is important, and you can check this with your HIV pharmacist.

Vaccination against hepatitis A and hepatitis B are both safe in HIV-positive people, and strongly recommended. Response rates are higher at higher CD4 counts.

Steroids should not affect the vaccination, but the doctor giving you the vaccine should be aware of this, and likewise, your HIV doctor should know of your travel vaccination plans (and streroid use).