* Vaccinations
* Getting to China
* Accommodation
I am constantly reminding the girl who is travelling with me to Urumqi that "China is not like anywhere else". Whether this is in respect of people coughing their lungs up in the streets, the fact that a "Chinese" toilet is little more than a hole in the ground, or that mentioning you have a religion on a visa application can land you in hot water, it holds true - China is different, and you cannot be too careful. For this reason your handbook from SML will probably advise you to get a variety of vaccinations (or at least be up to date with most of them). The most common ones are:
- Hepatitis A - quite a high risk in China, where it can be found in plenty of foods.
- Hepatitis B - less of a risk (usually bloodborne), but if you end up in hospital and they don't have clean equipment, well you're just asking for trouble.
- Meningitis C - most people have this before even coming to university. I think it lasts for about 10 years.
- MMR - Measles, Mumps, Rubella - usually people receive one as a kid and one later on in life. According to my travel nurse, if I've had the second shot, I should be good for life.
- Tetanus, Diptheria, Polio - none of these are nice, get vaccinated. Chances are, if you've been abroad any other time in the last decade you will have had these vaccinations.
- Typhoid - waterborne, which in China means quite a lot of places (the tap water is not potable by any means).
Most, if not all, of the above can be obtained free of charge. With the exception of Hepatitis B (and possibly HepA), the above are all one-shot vaccinations (as far as I remember). Where HepB is concerned, a full course consists of 3 injections, followed by a blood test to ensure your body is sufficiently immune. If you are anything like me, your body will for some reason or other refuse to produce antibodies; if this is the case, a booster shot (or sometimes second course) may be prescribed, followed by another blood test. Not being immune to HepB isn't a massive deal, as above I said it is mainly bloodborne, so unless you plan to be shagging around or shooting up with people you should be okay ... But there is always the chance you will end up in a less-than-hygienic hospital, and if you're clever you'll remember the title of my blog. :)
However there are more serious diseases common in certain parts of China, and it is up to you to find out about them. Use a travel clinic, books, go online, and ask around. Of the more common serious illnesses that may be contracted in China, the following three are probably the ones you will hear about the most:
- Rabies - "mad dog disease", carried by just about any mammal, and almost unstoppably lethal once symptoms develop. It is entirely acceptable to enter China (where the disease is prevalent) without any form of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), but there are certain advantages to taking precautionary vaccinations. Number one, if you are bitten / scratched / otherwise come into contact with a rabid animal, a pre-exposure course gives you a little extra time to get to medical help (somewhere in the region of 36 - 72 hours I believe). Number two, it reduces the number of shots you require having come into contact with the virus. A normal course of Rabies injections is 5 shots given over a number of weeks. The pre-exposure course is 3 shots given in a 4-week period. Following this, should you be exposed, the post-exposure course is just 2 shots (instead of all 5). Cover lasts between 2 and 3 years, after which a booster shot is needed to keep the protection of the original pre-exposure course. From personal experience, doctors at the "Dog Bite Clinics" (yes they have them) in the large cities like Shanghai will have heard of PEP and know the correct procedure is to receive 2 additional shots only. Other locations, in smaller towns for example, may never have heard of PEP and will insist on giving all 5 injections. Fortunately vaccines like this are very cheap in most areas.
- Japanese (B) Encephalitis - normally transmitted in tropical regions (find a regional danger map online), the chance of getting the disease even if bitten by an infected insect is quite low, but as I said above, you cannot be too careful. The first course is almost the same as the Rabies PEP, 3 shots given sometime over a 4-week period, and then a booster shot every 2 or 3 years. Side effects can be worse with this shot (my experience anyway), but severe reactions are incredibly rare. Unlike Rabies, no post-exposure course is needed in the event you get bitten by a mosquito or whatnot.
- Malaria - tropical regions only, and I think the majority of people takes pills (if they take anything at all - I know people going to Haikou who are more "at risk" but will not be taking anti-malarial medication because of the side effects of prolonged usage).
Apparently a vaccine for Cholera exists. Apparently it is kind of useless as well - take it at your own risk (and your wallet's risk too I am informed). From what I've been told, if you are going to get cholera, you are going to get it. Lovely.
A word on costs - your GP can charge whatever the hell they want. In some cases you will have a wonderful practice where the logic goes something like "you are going to be at risk, therefore you need to be protected, therefore we will keep the cost as low as possible so you can be vaccinated and be safe". If this is the case, consider yourself lucky. A 3-shot course (Rabies or JapB Encephalitis for example) could cost as little as £6.50 (per 3-shot course). When I went to China on my GAP year I paid just £13.00 for those 6 shots.
Other practices take the "you are travelling, you are having some odd vaccination, it is your choice, so we will charge you a heap of money for inconveniencing us" - right now, I am registered with one such practice. I knew two people on my GAP year who were forced to choose between getting a vaccine or not simply because the full course ran into triple figures - if possible, change practice! I do not like the idea of not being protected against something just because I can't afford it. Fortunately I only need boosters for Rabies and JapB Encephalitis (one shot each), but both of those shots still costs £60 here. That's approximately 30x more expensive than at my last practice. You've been warned.
Remember to start having injections long before you intend to travel. Remember some vaccinations need blood tests and / or several weeks to be completed. Remember it is not very nice to have six or seven different vaccines running around your body all at once just because you left it a bit late. And remember to set aside a load of money for it all (if your GP is of the second variety especially).
Accommodation will vary from location to location - you'll be informed of what's on offer when you get your handbook. As for Urumqi, supposedly there is university accommodation (dorms / halls) for just £250/year. Yes, that's right, £250 for the whole year. The downside is that this year's students discovered the accommodation was that cheap because it was that bad. So bad they moved out as soon as they could. From what I have heard, there are plenty of refurbishments going on and the price has stayed the same, but I am reserving my judgement for when I arrive and see it with my own eyes. In the meantime I am seriously considering living out of the uni accommodation, not least because I enjoy my own freedoms and my own space. Yes, it will be more expensive, but it will still be a lot cheaper than the UK! And I can have a place to call my own. Be aware that if you go stay anywhere (hostels, hotels, even overnighting at some places) you may be required to register with the local police office (PSB - Public Security Bureau), and that not registering is something kind of serious. More on accommodation once I am out in China I imagine!
Part Two will probably cover things like Visas, Packing Extras and Money - but of course I've not written it yet ... so we'll see.
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