Along with the establishment of the new Clinic of Infectious Diseases and Travel Medicine of the 2nd Faculty of Medicine of the UK and the Motol Medical Center, the activity of the vaccination center in our hospital is expanding. The Vaccination Center offers comprehensive consulting services related to vaccination, including vaccination covered by health insurance for risk groups of adult patients, commercial vaccination and vaccination of travelers. You can order using the electronic reservation system at: OBJEDNAVKY.FNMOTOL.CZ or by calling 224 436 930.
How does counseling work for risk groups of adult patients?
During the consultation at the outpatient clinic, you will discuss your health status with the doctor, as well as what diseases you are being treated for in the long term, what medications you are taking, whether you have any allergies and what and when you were vaccinated against. The doctor will then familiarize you with which vaccinations are important for you and which would be appropriate to supplement. A number of vaccines are covered by public insurance for selected groups of patients (e.g. the elderly, patients with immune disorders, patients taking immune-suppressing drugs, or patients who do not have a spleen...). The doctor at the vaccination center will discuss with you further which vaccines might be suitable for you, even if they are not covered by health insurance. Examples include vaccination against influenza and pneumococcal infections in patients with oncological diseases, vaccination against influenza, pneumococcal infections and viral hepatitis B in patients with diabetes, or vaccination against shingles in people over 50 years of age. After mutual agreement with the doctor at the clinic, the optimal vaccination plan will be determined and the selected vaccinations will be applied to you. We provide a brief overview of the vaccinations that are covered by your health insurance in the table.
How is counseling for patients who come for commercial vaccinations?
The consultation with the doctor takes place in a similar way as for risk groups of patients. Furthermore, it is important to find out which potential risks are relevant in your case and which vaccines make sense (also taking into account the possible financial burden) to apply. An example can be given of a young, otherwise healthy athlete who spends a large part of his free time in nature, when vaccination against tick-borne meningoencephalitis will be important. For young women who are planning to become pregnant (not yet pregnant) and have not yet had chicken pox, it is very advisable to complete vaccination against this infection, because infection during pregnancy entails a number of risks for both the fetus and the mother. On the other hand, revaccination against whooping cough is recommended for pregnant women, because thanks to the transfer of antibodies from the mother's body to the future newborn, protection is ensured in its most risky period, taking into account the risk of infection in the mother, vaccination against seasonal flu is also recommended.
What is the difference between travel advice and pre-trip vaccination?
Similar to the situations mentioned above, during travel advice, you will first discuss your health status and vaccinations you have already received with your doctor. 
Subsequently, the doctor will get acquainted with your travel plan, which country or specific region you are going to, how long you will stay in the area, what will be the nature of the trip, accommodation or meals, or whether you are planning any risky sports activities. Based on the information obtained, the doctor will evaluate the possible risks of the trip and together with him you will discuss the possibilities of prevention. According to the client's preference, a vaccination plan will then be drawn up, which will include both mandatory vaccinations in the given area (e.g. yellow fever) and, above all, recommended vaccinations, the most common of which include vaccinations against type A jaundice, typhoid or rabies. In addition to the vaccination itself, the doctor will also familiarize you with the incidence of malaria in the area and the options for adequate protection, including the possible use of antimalarials or effective repellents. During the consultation, you will also learn how to correctly choose additional travel insurance, how a travel first aid kit should be equipped, or how to proceed with the most common health problems. For the travel advice itself, we use verified sources from the German Center for Travel Medicine (CRM) or the American CDC. However, a careful consideration of cost effectiveness for the client is also essential for us. The advantage of our center is that, in addition to pre-departure counseling, we also provide comprehensive care for patients with health problems upon return.
What does pre-departure counseling include?
- Vaccination
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- Mandatory (yellow fever, meningococci)
- Regular (revaccination against tetanus...)
- Recommended (jaundice A, typhoid, rabies, meningococci, cholera, Japanese encephalitis, tick-borne meningoencephalitis...)
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- Malaria and its prevention (use of antimalarials, repellents)
- Traveller's diarrhea (how to avoid it, how to treat it in case of difficulties)
- Other infectious risks in the area and their prevention (dengue fever, chikungunya, rickettsiosis, schistosomiasis, sexually transmitted infections...)
- Non-infectious risks related to travel and stay in the area
- Travel first aid kit
- Principles of treatment of the most common health problems
- Additional travel insurance
How does the vaccination itself take place?
Before administering the vaccine, the doctor will first assess whether you are allergic to any of the components of the vaccine or whether you are suffering from any significant acute illness (e.g. febrile infection). Then the doctor or nurse injects the vaccine into the muscle or subcutaneous tissue in the shoulder area. Several different vaccines can be safely administered in one day, in which case we use the arms of both limbs. After the application itself, you will wait 15 to 30 minutes in the waiting room. Significant sports or physical activity is generally not recommended on the day of vaccination.
Text: MUDr. Milan Trojánek, Ph.D.
Photo: FN Motol