You can receive certain vaccinations at Health Services, however if you plan to travel extensively outside of North America, you should consult with a travel vaccination clinic. In Sherbrooke:
Clinique du Voyageur
5112 Blvd Bourque
Telephone: 819-564-5160
The following vaccinations can be obtained through Health Services:
Tetanus booster - if you step on a rusty nail or cut yourself with a dirty object, (fishhook, object contaminated with earth or in barnyard) and you have not had a tetanus shot for 5 years, you should receive a booster within 24 hours of the injury. If the wound is clean and you have had a booster within 10 years, you do not need another one.
Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) - Most people had this vaccine as babies and some have had a booster since then. Immunity is not permanent and we are seeing cases of mumps and measles in university aged students. It is usually a requirement for anyone going to school in the U.S. Young women could have a blood test to see if they are immune to rubella. If not, they should be vaccinated. If a pregnant woman contracts rubella in the first 3 months of pregnancy, it may cause serious congenital defects in the fetus. The MMR vaccine is available at Health Services.
Hepatitis A & B - Most students in Canada have had the three injections of Hepatitis B in elementary school. Hepatitis A vaccine (Havrix) protects you when you are travelling outside the country where you may be at risk of contact with contaminated food or water. If you have not had Hepatitis B, you can have the combination A & B vaccination (Twinrix).
Gardasil - A new vaccine to protect women against four strains of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which is the most common STI. Two of the strains can lead to cancer of the cervix and the other two cause genital warts. You require 3 doses of the vaccine at 0, 2 months and 6 months. The cost is $150 per dose but many private insurance companies will be covering a portion of the cost. Check with your insurance company. You require a doctor's prescription for the vaccine, fill it at the pharmacy and return to have the vaccine administered by a nurse.
P.P.D. test (T.B. test) - Travellers may be required to be tested for tuberculosis before being allowed to enter certain countries. Also, students applying to teach in Ontario must be tested. If you haven't had it before, it is a two-step process with a week between each step.
For more information, talk to a nurse at the clinic.
