LucyMO

I had a tetanus booster shot exactly 5 years and 2 months ago. Today, at the immigration medical exam I was told that the booster needs to be less than 5 years old for immigration purposes, while it is actually valid for 10 years for all other purposes. Did anybody else hear anything like that?

I-693 form has a comment for doctors: in regards to Td vaccinations, follow the PHS guidelines (Public Health Service). I have been searching all evening and it doesn't say anywhere in PHS guidelines that the booster needs to be 5 years or younger.

Any help? I now need to get another booster, and I don't really want to - since it's useless. I am considering going to another doctor for just the vaccination supplement.

this link http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/pdf/ti-...b_csS-clrd.pdf provides information for civil surgeons. It lists a required tetanus booster every 10, not 5 years.

AussieSteve

Hi Lucy,
I was told at my medical that the tetanus shot is good for 10 years, I presume for immigration purposes too, since that's why I was there. I had to have the shot anyway since it had been 14 years for me.

Do you need to get any other shots? If so, tell the folks who do them about your problem and maybe they will mark your vaccination record to say that you don't need the tetanus shot, based on your history. I got out of having the chicken pox shot because I told them I had the disease as a child, my word was good enough, but I did show them my shingles scar for good measure!

If you can't get out of it, why not just get the shot instead of seeking out another doctor? Unless of course you have some aversion to shots :-)

Good luck!

Cheers,
Steve.

AussieSteve

Hi Lucy,
Just found this on the FDA website (http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/696_tet.html)

"...In some individuals, antibody levels may fall too low to provide protection before 10 years have passed. That's why people who sustain a deep or contaminated wound should receive a booster dose if it has been more than five years since the last dose...."

Maybe it's a case of CYA?

Cheers,
Steve.

meauxna

Or a case of Plump Up the Doc's Wallet?

AussieSteve

Yes! I hope the doc who I went to is enjoying his Mercedes, along with my dentist who I suspect just loves his new Porsche. BTW, I had my shots at my county's health service, DTP and MMR shots were free...

Brenda Ballard

hi
my husband got another tetanus shot just before we went for our
interview......the doctor told him it would not hurt him

brenda

LucyMO

I just went to another doctor for the vaccination certificate ($10 and an hour of waiting) today and got a "all vaccinations completed" statement. It was that easy. I have all of the other vaccinations done.

I do have a printout from the Civil Surgeons' instructions where it says: boosters are required every ten years.

Now, all I have to do is a chest x-ray.

LucyMO

from experience now: if the doctor's office quotes you $125 for everything but the vaccinations - beware. Turns out - $125 doesn't include X-rays, because they don't do them, and you have to get them elsewhere, and so far the cheapest quote for me was $165 for x-rays and a doctor's statement.

So I could have gone to a slightly more expensive doctor, whose total with the x-rays would still be lower than $125/exam +$165/x-rays.

Bob

Tetanus boost is required every 10 years, so if you don't have proof and know your covered, have a titre test to show your covered.

cindyabs

yeah well try getting a flu shot,

LucyMO

I do have proof - and I showed it to the nurse. I had a tetanus booster 5 years and 2 months ago - to which she objected saying that for immigration purposes my Td had to be done less than 5 years ago.

THe other office didn't have a problem with my 5 year old booster.

nathan barley

The civ. surgeon I went to for my med exam told me it was every 10 years for Tentanus, before giving me one, because my last had been 15 years ago. Sounds like they are just trying to squeeze the extra $20 or out of it, for you

gruffbrown

I had to have a MMR and DTP and Tetanus at 45 years old, make sure you get a letter from the Doc, that's a lot of pricks! :-)

Bob

your probably getting scammed then....try another civil doc?
I know I got scammed by mine with the tetanus, as the test came back ok, I'd had the jab 9 years previous, but he wouldn't sign off on it until he gave me a new jab, excuse was that it could be expired by my interview, which it wouldn't have been....that and signing the medical supplement, $230...hmmm...

Bob

those things are evil anyway...