About the Travel Health Clinic
The Travel Health Clinic currently operates on three Monday afternoons a month – 1st, 3rd and 4th Mondays. The clinic will accept clients from anywhere in Manitoba, although the desire is to serve, primarily, the Eastern portion of Southern Health/Sante Sud.
This service is not covered by Manitoba Health and so the client will have to pay for the services received and any product purchased. A receipt will be given and it may be that some will have coverage from their own private health insurance.
The clinic would prefer to see people at least 6 weeks before their departure but it will work with what ever it is given.
This is more than getting a vaccination – it involves an assessment of the risks to the client from that specific location or itinerary, in the context of the client’s medical history. It will usually lead to some recommendation to meet those risks, that may or may not involve medication or vaccinations. It is important that what is offered is more than just a vaccination center, but the necessary advice and knowledge to help you have a healthy vacation, mission trip or business trip.
This service is not covered by Manitoba Health and so the client will have to pay for the services received and any product purchased. A receipt will be given and it may be that some will have coverage from their own private health insurance.
The clinic would prefer to see people at least 6 weeks before their departure but it will work with what ever it is given.
This is more than getting a vaccination – it involves an assessment of the risks to the client from that specific location or itinerary, in the context of the client’s medical history. It will usually lead to some recommendation to meet those risks, that may or may not involve medication or vaccinations. It is important that what is offered is more than just a vaccination center, but the necessary advice and knowledge to help you have a healthy vacation, mission trip or business trip.
Who Are We?
Dr. Chris Burnett received his Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from the Leopold Institute in Belgium. He then practiced for 4 years in central Africa where he got to use a large part of what he learned. He and his wife also have a keen interest in traveling, the current tally is over 30 different countries and another 2 expected to be added in 2015! He is also hoping to challenge the International Society of Travel Medicine certification in 2015.
The clinic also employs a public health nurse to help reinforce some of the health advice as well as to administer vaccinations that are agreed upon with clients.
The clinic also employs a public health nurse to help reinforce some of the health advice as well as to administer vaccinations that are agreed upon with clients.
How does it work?
On realizing that you would like some help with your plans for a vacation, a business trip or a mission trip, you would call the Niverville Medical Clinic and ask for a consult appointment. Depending on the urgency of your timing, an appointment will usually be offered. It is expected that hours and availability will gradually increase to meet demand, however if your departure is before the next available clinic appointment, you will be made aware of other locations in Manitoba offering this service. It really pays to think about this early and perhaps even before you think of booking.
You will then be sent a questionnaire to fill out for each traveler. This is to help plan for your visit and tailor the advice to your situation. This will include details of your visit, how long, where to and previous travel history. It will also include a brief history of your current and past medical history. This is very important in assessing your risks and how best to advise. This must be returned to the clinic, either by email or fax, no later than the Thursday before your appointment or it risks being cancelled.
You will also receive an electronic copy of our Travel Health Clinic brochure which explains how the clinic works and what to expect.
Depending on the size of your group you should expect to be between 60 and 90 minutes at the clinic. Please ensure that you have allowed enough time for your other commitments. We often see families but each member of the family is treated as an individual.
On leaving the clinic you will have a folder with fact sheets tailored to your location, a list of agreed vaccinations or medications with a time line as to when to get these. You will also receive our second Travel Brochure that has a summary of the general information received in your consult. You will also receive a booklet with a record of any vaccinations you have received.
You will then be sent a questionnaire to fill out for each traveler. This is to help plan for your visit and tailor the advice to your situation. This will include details of your visit, how long, where to and previous travel history. It will also include a brief history of your current and past medical history. This is very important in assessing your risks and how best to advise. This must be returned to the clinic, either by email or fax, no later than the Thursday before your appointment or it risks being cancelled.
You will also receive an electronic copy of our Travel Health Clinic brochure which explains how the clinic works and what to expect.
Depending on the size of your group you should expect to be between 60 and 90 minutes at the clinic. Please ensure that you have allowed enough time for your other commitments. We often see families but each member of the family is treated as an individual.
On leaving the clinic you will have a folder with fact sheets tailored to your location, a list of agreed vaccinations or medications with a time line as to when to get these. You will also receive our second Travel Brochure that has a summary of the general information received in your consult. You will also receive a booklet with a record of any vaccinations you have received.
So what types of vaccinations or medications might I receive?
The most common are probably the ones you don’t think about and they are free! The clinic will make sure that you are up-to-date with those vaccinations covered by Manitoba Health, such as for Tetanus or Influenza.
The next most commonly requested are for Hepatitis A and B. Hepatitis B is a dangerous viral infection of the Liver that can result in death for up to a third who contract it. They may also develop liver failure or liver cancer years later. It can be caused by contact with the blood of someone who has the disease, with instruments not sufficiently sterilized, casual sexual contact, IV recreational drug use or even inadvertent contact with a used needle while walking the beach. All children in Manitoba are offered this vaccination in Grade 4.
Hepatitis A is less dangerous but more common. It is likely to may you yellow and sick for a few months and will spoil your post vacation relaxation! It is contracted with contaminated water either in the ice cubes, swimming in contaminated water, or food prepared improperly.
Vaccination for typhoid fever is often recommended for people going off the beaten path, remote locations or where hygiene is less than desired. Again this is contracted orally. The vaccination can either be by needle or by a series of oral capsules.
Yellow Fever is a tropical disease caused by a virus transmitted by a specific mosquito. It causes a serious illness with a fatality rate as high at 60%. Thankfully it is only found in certain locations. However it is one of the few vaccinations that is legally mandated in some certain countries. It can also be required if you are entering a country, within 7 days, of leaving a country with a past history of Yellow Fever. The vaccination attracts its own certificate and can only be given in registered clinics, such as here in Niverville. The details are complicated and change all the time and so your detailed itinerary is important. Failure to get this vaccination, when required, may entail a quarantine of 7 days when entering a country.
There is an oral vaccination that helps protect against some causes of Travel Diarrhea. This vaccination is offered especially to those going to low hygiene areas or who are prone to diarrhea on previous trips.
Other vaccinations include polio, for specific risk countries, Meningococcal vaccine, especially for sub Saharan Africa. There are some who may require more rare vaccines, such as against Rabies or Japanese Encephalitis. Again their need or recommendation will follow a risk assessment with the client.
Unfortunately there is yet to be an effective vaccine for protection against Malaria, an infection with a single cell organism, transmitted by a specific group of mosquitoes. The recommendation of what to take will depend on preference of the client and what is known to work in that location. Again this is a changeable area of information.
The next most commonly requested are for Hepatitis A and B. Hepatitis B is a dangerous viral infection of the Liver that can result in death for up to a third who contract it. They may also develop liver failure or liver cancer years later. It can be caused by contact with the blood of someone who has the disease, with instruments not sufficiently sterilized, casual sexual contact, IV recreational drug use or even inadvertent contact with a used needle while walking the beach. All children in Manitoba are offered this vaccination in Grade 4.
Hepatitis A is less dangerous but more common. It is likely to may you yellow and sick for a few months and will spoil your post vacation relaxation! It is contracted with contaminated water either in the ice cubes, swimming in contaminated water, or food prepared improperly.
Vaccination for typhoid fever is often recommended for people going off the beaten path, remote locations or where hygiene is less than desired. Again this is contracted orally. The vaccination can either be by needle or by a series of oral capsules.
Yellow Fever is a tropical disease caused by a virus transmitted by a specific mosquito. It causes a serious illness with a fatality rate as high at 60%. Thankfully it is only found in certain locations. However it is one of the few vaccinations that is legally mandated in some certain countries. It can also be required if you are entering a country, within 7 days, of leaving a country with a past history of Yellow Fever. The vaccination attracts its own certificate and can only be given in registered clinics, such as here in Niverville. The details are complicated and change all the time and so your detailed itinerary is important. Failure to get this vaccination, when required, may entail a quarantine of 7 days when entering a country.
There is an oral vaccination that helps protect against some causes of Travel Diarrhea. This vaccination is offered especially to those going to low hygiene areas or who are prone to diarrhea on previous trips.
Other vaccinations include polio, for specific risk countries, Meningococcal vaccine, especially for sub Saharan Africa. There are some who may require more rare vaccines, such as against Rabies or Japanese Encephalitis. Again their need or recommendation will follow a risk assessment with the client.
Unfortunately there is yet to be an effective vaccine for protection against Malaria, an infection with a single cell organism, transmitted by a specific group of mosquitoes. The recommendation of what to take will depend on preference of the client and what is known to work in that location. Again this is a changeable area of information.
It's more than just vaccinations!
There are a lot of other infections, other risks and potential dangers that are not covered by a vaccination. There are the challenges of a high altitude vacation in Peru or Nepal, mountain trekking in central Europe, diving the barrier reef. There are the illnesses from eating carnivore fish, mosquito illnesses found in Central America and even now into the southern USA. The risks of driving a motorbike in Bermuda or Mexico. What to do if you are bitten by a monkey in Thailand, a bat in east Africa or a dog in China. What to do if that diarrhea does not want to stop, where and when to seek help. All of these are possible topics depending in where you are heading.
Costs
Travel Health Fees as of February 1, 2015
Initial visits
| Single traveller (30+ min) | $60 |
| Couple (45+ min) | $120 |
| Additional family members | $30/each |
Subsequent visits
| Per person | $30 |
Groups can be accommodated by prior arrangement, including off site visits, however vaccinations will only be offered in clinic.
Vaccinations
| Hepatitis A (Havrix) Adult/Junior | $55/$30 |
| Hepatitis B (Engerix) Adult | $30 |
| HepA & B (Twinrix) Adult/Junior | $60/$30 |
| Yellow Fever (YF-VAX) | $160 |
| Meningoccocal (Menactra) | $95 |
| Hep A/ Typhoid (ViVAXIM) | $N/A |
| Typhoid (Typhim Vi) oral | temp unavailable |
| Polio (IMOVAX) | $55 |
| Dukoral | $50 (two doses) |
| ViVotif (Typhoid) | $30 |
| Rabies Imovax | $215/dose |
| Polio | $55 |
| Zostavax | $205 |
The Clinic reserves to right to increase the price of vaccinations, as required. They are usually sold at cost with a small percentage to cover waste and other loss. It is not our intention to make a profit from vaccination sales.
You are welcome to buy the vaccinations yourself at a pharmacy of your choosing and return at another appointment to get the vaccination given. We do not recommend that you get your vaccinations given anywhere other than a medical center that has access to resuscitation equipment and medication.
Currently we accept check or cash, unfortunately we do not accept credit or debit cards. There is a bank with an ATM two blocks north of the clinic.
Groups
The clinic has in the past offered to come and talk to groups before mission trips. They are then free to seek services at the clinic or elsewhere. This usually needs to be arranged, well in advance, with Dr. Chris Burnett. There is usually a cost to cover transport and time but that again is negotiable.