This week Crystal and I received our first COVID-19 booster shot. We could have gotten it back in August but decided to wait until it had been six months since our initial dose. It ended up taking longer than that because we were vaccinated by the Military, not the Ministry of Health, and had some trouble finding an eligible vaccination site (since the lockdowns ended most have shifted to being operated by the Ministry of Health).

We also all went to got our Japanese Encephalitis boosters. This is another mosquito carried disease related to Dengue, Yellow Fever, and West Nile virus. The virus usually infects without symptoms but if it causes inflammation of the brain – encephalitis – it becomes extremely dangerous with a high lethality rare and an even higher risk of permeant brain damage. It’s not a common danger in Phnom Penh but there’s a greater risk in the countryside where the virus is transmitted between birds, pigs, and humans by mosquitos. Now that we’re able to make field visits to the countryside again – especially as we plan to visit remote areas – we thought it was time to up our protection. Also, you know, we’ve had a hard time with mosquito transmitted illnesses.

There’s also been a recent outbreak of Typhoid Fever in Cambodia. We all got our Typhoid vaccinations before moving to Cambodia but the children’s version needs a booster after two years. Typhoid is bacteria, rather than viral, disease that’s spread through sewage contamination of food or water and through person-to-person contact. We are, of course, very careful about the food we eat but it’s good to have another layer of protection just in case.

Catherine is due for her annual vaccines in March so we’ll be back at the clinic then but for more routine vaccinations. I’ll try to do a post on the clinic itself at that time.