Any tips to get difficult to find vaccines?

[Cenobite30 4]

Hello, all. My wife is only waiting on one thing before she can schedule her interview in Moscow: a varicella vaccination. If we understand correctly, she needs it even though she is 34 years old, and she is not allowed to get it during her medical exam immediately prior to her interview. Much to our dismay, we can't seem to find it anywhere in the city where she lives (Kazan, a city of a million people, if that matters). Does anyone know of any good strategies for getting a vaccination that is hard to find?

[NikLR 13,220]

It's the chicken pox vaccination.  Has she ever had chicken pox? 

[Cenobite30 4]

1 minute ago, NikLR said:

It's the chicken pox vaccination.  Has she ever had chicken pox? 

I don't believe she has. I take it they do some sort of blood antibody test to confirm, so it is best not to guess?

[NikLR 13,220]

Just now, Cenobite30 said:

I don't believe she has. I take it they do some sort of blood antibody test to confirm, so it is best not to guess?

The medical doesnt do a titre test.  Ask her if she's had it or if her parents remember her getting it.  I have a couple scars from it, my mom doesnt remember me having it due to being sick herself.  Just a verbal was fine at my medical but I'm unsure if that would suffice for your wife since medicals are different in different countries.  

Are you positive she cannot get the vaccination at her medical? I havent heard of that.  

[Cenobite30 4]

2 minutes ago, NikLR said:

The medical doesnt do a titre test.  Ask her if she's had it or if her parents remember her getting it.  I have a couple scars from it, my mom doesnt remember me having it due to being sick herself.  Just a verbal was fine at my medical but I'm unsure if that would suffice for your wife since medicals are different in different countries.  

Are you positive she cannot get the vaccination at her medical? I havent heard of that.  

I'll have her talk to her mother about whether or not she had chicken pox, though my wife doesn't have any knowledge of having had it.

 

She says she has called every hospital and clinic in the city, and none of them have varicella. It sounds crazy to me, but they are saying to her that maybe they will have it in a few months (which sounds a lot like telling her to f--- off).

 

Some options we have considered:

- Traveling to another country to get it.

- Waiting "a few months" and hoping they will get it.

- Some of her friends are going to Europe and will try to buy it there and take it back to Russia for her.

 

None of these seem like very good options.

[NikLR 13,220]

6 minutes ago, Cenobite30 said:

I'll have her talk to her mother about whether or not she had chicken pox, though my wife doesn't have any knowledge of having had it.

 

She says she has called every hospital and clinic in the city, and none of them have varicella. It sounds crazy to me, but they are saying to her that maybe they will have it in a few months (which sounds a lot like telling her to f--- off).

 

Some options we have considered:

- Traveling to another country to get it.

- Waiting "a few months" and hoping they will get it.

- Some of her friends are going to Europe and will try to buy it there and take it back to Russia for her.

 

None of these seem like very good options.

She should contact where she needs to have the medical which is a very specific location. 

 

[debbiedoo 2,339]

every pediatrician in the states has the chicken pox vaccine. are you sure shes asking for the right thing?

 

and ... i mean, I dont know about the rest of the world, but im pretty sure you cant 'buy a vaccine' somewhere and take it home to use 😕 

[Cenobite30 4]

1 minute ago, NikLR said:

She should contact where she needs to have the medical which is a very specific location. 

 

The CDC guidance which is frequently referenced here says this:

 

"If you  lack any vaccinations required for your age category , the civil surgeon will administer the vaccines as needed. "

 

Which confuses the matter more, to me. Is that allowed? If so, is it required for the doctor to do it, or is it at their discretion?

 

[Cenobite30 4]

2 minutes ago, debbiedoo said:

every pediatrician in the states has the chicken pox vaccine. are you sure shes asking for the right thing?

 

and ... i mean, I dont know about the rest of the world, but im pretty sure you cant 'buy a vaccine' somewhere and take it home to use 😕 

I can't personally vouch that she is asking for the right thing, since she is over there doing it by herself. But it does seem odd that nobody in a city of a million people would have this vaccine.

 

I've always suspected a conspiracy of the world against me. This might be the smoking gun! 😄

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

When we did our immigrant visa medicals, our entire country had run out of varicella vaccines - the panel doctor made a note of that and the kids had to get them done after we entered (adults were exempted as we’d had chicken pox) - so it shouldn't be a deal breaker.

 

 

[Cenobite30 4]

23 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

When we did our immigrant visa medicals, our entire country had run out of varicella vaccines - the panel doctor made a note of that and the kids had to get them done after we entered (adults were exempted as we’d had chicken pox) - so it shouldn't be a deal breaker.

 

 

It's crazy. How does a country run out of varicella vaccines?

 

Since there is no AOS for IR-1/CR-1 visas, I guess the option doesn't exist to just get them here in the US, right? Or do I understand it incorrectly?

 

Anyway, thank you all for your help.

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

26 minutes ago, Cenobite30 said:

It's crazy. How does a country run out of varicella vaccines?

 

Since there is no AOS for IR-1/CR-1 visas, I guess the option doesn't exist to just get them here in the US, right? Or do I understand it incorrectly?

 

Anyway, thank you all for your help.

I don’t know, but clearly it happens. Basically you just need to trust the panel doctor to either find it or give her an exemption. But I’m not sure why she seems to think she needs to run around finding vaccines in the first place , every other panel doctor I’ve ever heard of gives you vaccines if you need them and exempts you if you don’t (my husband and I got exempted from a bunch on the list based on age).

 

we didn’t AOS by the way, I don’t see what that has to do with the medical? I’ve heard of a few medical things that get done after entry if for whatever reason they are not done in the home country.

Edited August 9, 2018 by SusieQQQ

[Cenobite30 4]

2 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

I don’t know, but clearly it happens. Basically you just need to trust the panel doctor to either find it or give her an exemption. But I’m not sure why she seems to think she needs to run around finding vaccines in the first place , every other panel doctor I’ve ever heard of gives you vaccines if you need them and exempts you if you don’t (my husband and I got exempted from a bunch on the list based on age).

 

we didn’t AOS by the way, I don’t see what that has to do with the medical? I’ve heard of a few medical things that get done after entry if for whatever reason they are not done in the home country.

She is not exempted based on age for this particular vaccine, sadly. I suppose the doctor could theoretically see that the vaccine was unavailable in the country and exempt her from it, but we don't want to be in the position where we have to rely on someone being reasonable.

 

I mentioned AOS because those applying for K visas apparently don't need to have all of the vaccinations before coming to the US, they just need them before they do their AOS. Since IR-1/CR-1 applicants don't have an AOS step, it would seem that they do not have the option of getting vaccinated after entering the US and must therefore get them before coming here.

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

22 minutes ago, Cenobite30 said:

She is not exempted based on age for this particular vaccine, sadly. I suppose the doctor could theoretically see that the vaccine was unavailable in the country and exempt her from it, but we don't want to be in the position where we have to rely on someone being reasonable.

 

I mentioned AOS because those applying for K visas apparently don't need to have all of the vaccinations before coming to the US, they just need them before they do their AOS. Since IR-1/CR-1 applicants don't have an AOS step, it would seem that they do not have the option of getting vaccinated after entering the US and must therefore get them before coming here.

Well, you have to rely on the panel doctor and the panel doctors have to follow approved procedures. You don’t really have an option...

K1 are by far the minority of immigrant visas, so going by what they apparently can or can’t do isn't really useful imo. Like I said, my kids got vaccinated after arriving, and the CBP officer admittIng us didn’t even blink when he looked at the medical report saying that so I can’t image it’s unusual. 

[Cenobite30 4]

35 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

Well, you have to rely on the panel doctor and the panel doctors have to follow approved procedures. You don’t really have an option...

K1 are by far the minority of immigrant visas, so going by what they apparently can or can’t do isn't really useful imo. Like I said, my kids got vaccinated after arriving, and the CBP officer admittIng us didn’t even blink when he looked at the medical report saying that so I can’t image it’s unusual. 

I understand. Thank you for sharing your experience. You've been very helpful.