[Unauthorized vaccines put on the market are useful for certain travelers]

Certain vaccines such as the amaril vaccine are highly recommended and even required from the traveller. Other vaccinations concern persons travelling in regions where they might be infected by pathogens not present in their countries of origin. There exist vaccines which are available in certain countries but which are not (or not yet) allowed on the French market. This is the case for the Japanese encephalitis (JE) and for the tick encephalitis (TE) of Central Europe. Details should be given about how the traveller can benefit from these vaccines, and about practical procedures to obtain them. The agents responsible are viruses transmitted by arthropods (the mosquito and the tick, respectively). The variability of the risk and the seasons of transmission, variable from one region to another (especially as far as JE is concerned), have to be taken into account. Also, the small risk of infection presently encountered and the small percentage of persons developing clinical syndromes after an infectious bite should be taken into consideration. Practically speaking, vaccination against the Japanese encephalitis is recommended to those persons who plan to stay in an endemic or epidemic region for several weeks during the season of transmission, especially if a trip into rural areas is entailed. As far as tick encephalitis is concerned, infection can take place in all rural areas (meadows, clearings, underwoods ...) of the Vosges and the zones east of them, especially in Central Europe, Russia and Siberia. While the decision is still justifiably pending as to whether to allow these vaccines on the market, it is possible to obtain from the public health administration a temporary authorization for their administration. Travellers should in any case be strongly advised to protect themselves against the bites of arthropods.