Travel Vaccinations & Advice for USA

What Vaccines are needed for US Immigration?

At present, vaccination for the following ailments and diseases are required for US immigration:

• Measles
• Mumps
• Polio
• Rubella
• Pertussis
• Diphtheria and Tetanus
• Hepatitis A and B
• Haemophilus influenza type B (HIB)
• Rotavirus
• Varicella
• Meningococcal disease
• Seasonal influenza
• Pneumococcal disease

Apart from the aforementioned diseases, there has been an update in the vaccination criteria for US immigration.

Now we’ll discuss:

What are the Criteria for New Vaccination for US Immigration?

All the immigrant applicants receive a medical exam as per the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regulations. During this exam, the applicants have to present the proof of receiving certain vaccines. If any applicant fails to present the proof that they have received the necessary vaccines, the vaccines would be given at the time of this medical exam - states the law.

There are new criteria for new vaccination introduced by CDC. These criteria aids in deciding which vaccines must be required as a part of the process of immigration. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention will make use of these parameters at regular intervals, as required, for the vaccines, which are recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for the general public of the United States of America. This will decide which vaccine is required for US immigration.

The criteria are as follows:

• The vaccines must safeguard against the disease, which has the potential of causing an outbreak.
• The vaccines should be age-appropriate for immigrant
• The vaccination should safeguard against the ailment, which is the process of being eradicated or has been eradicated in the US.

*Vaccines for a particular age are recommended by ACIP in the general public of the United States of America. These recommendations by ACIP are used to decide which vaccinations are age-appropriate for the general population of the immigrants.

These parameters are applicable to the vaccines recommended by ACIP, which are not particularly mentioned in the law of immigration.

In case ACIP-recommended vaccines for the general population of the US meets the aforementioned criteria, immigrant applicants from the overseas have to get vaccinated during the immigrant medical examination.

The immigrant applicants who’re already in the States and are changing their status of VISA to become a permanent resident also have to get the same vaccination unless they present proof of vaccination (if they already got one) or in case the doctors do not advise vaccination.

The immigrant applicants have to get only a dose of each vaccine during the medical examination. Nevertheless, applicants are encouraged to receive other doses of the vaccine to finish the series.

How far in Advance you should get Vaccinated before Travelling?

You must get the vaccinations at least 4 to 6 weeks prior travelling. This will allow the vaccines to start working, so you’re secluded while travelling. This also allows ensuring that there’s enough time for you to receive vaccination, which requires more than one dose.

If you have any medical condition, which prevents you to receive a vaccination, which is age-appropriate for you, the civil surgeon will interpret Form I-693 accordingly and marking the vaccination as contraindicated.

Contraindication is a condition, which prevents you from getting a specific vaccine. The CDC has a list that indicates which vaccines are considered a contraindication. This civil surgeon determines whether you have any such condition, which prevents you from taking particular vaccination while immigration medical exam is carried out.