I am going to Turkey in 19 days (so excited!) and while looking for things that I need to be getting ready, I seen that there are some extra vaccinations that are recommened.  Malaria being one of them.. is this true?  There were a whole list of cities named..

Malaria in Turkey: prophylaxis is recommended for the provinces of Adana, Adryaman, Batman, Bingol, Bitlis, Diyarbakar, Elazig, Gaziantep, Hakkari, Hatay, Icel, Kahraman Maras, Kilis, Mardin, Mus, Osmaniyeh, Sanliurfa, Siirt, Sirnak, and Van, chiefly in the south and southeastern parts of the country. Peak transmission occurs from May to October. The drug of choice is chloroquine, taken once weekly in a dosage of 500 mg, starting one-to-two weeks before arrival and continuing through the trip and for four weeks after departure. Chloroquine may cause mild adverse reactions, including gastrointestinal disturbance, headache, dizziness, blurred vision, and itching, but severe reactions are uncommon. Insect protection measures are advised for areas of malaria risk.

Is Malaria that big of a risk?  I am going to Adana but will also be in Mersin and Cappadokia as well as Istanbul of course.  If this is something that I should truely get, then I will of course. But if the risk is low,  then I would like to skip this, as I kind of have a hatred for needles.  Does anyone on here know if that is a serious risk? Or has anyone heard about people actually getting this?  Thanks in advance.

The Tropical Travel Care Centre here in Rotterdam said there was no problem. You should more worry about hepatitis A/B, tetanus and enteric fever (typhoid). The latter only when staying longer than 3 months.  

Thank you!!! Although I have had a tetnous and one of the Hep vaccines.. not sure on the other ones! I will have to check with my doc I suppose.  I am not looking forward to the needles though.. they really should give those out in handy pill form!

İt is strange that they are advising people to start on malaria tablets. Personally İ have never seen a single mosquito in the east of Turkey (although there are many types of more or less gross bugs ).

İf you look at the whole list of ´recommended´ vaccinations it includes diphtheria, hep B, rabies, tuberculosis and typhus as well, but as Trudy says tetanus and hepatitis A should be enough when you are staying there for a short time  When İ went to the doctor he told me that it´s not even possible to get vaccinated for some of those disease in my home country The risk of exposure is minimal.

 I think you are worrying unnecessarily.  You are unlikely to be in contact with faeces or faecal matter or contaminated water (Hep A) - unless you are nursing; you are unlikely to be subjected to an outbreak of Hep B virus ( more likely to happen in China) or are you going to be exposed to someone bodily fluids who you don´t know? (Hep C) (Including blood transfusions).

If you have had your tetanus jabs you should be fine too, not planning on rose pruning or gardening are you?

 In caseof ´bodily fluids´  Hep B is a possible threat as well.....

Thanks. I was hoping that I wouldnt have to deal with any of that.  My mom told me to check that.. but she also thinks everyone in the ME walks around with guns too.. So this was just a precaution on my part.

 People in ME thinks that Americans are a little bit idiot

A little bit? I told her she was crazy and she watches too much television! I know that Americans arent well liked too..  I think alot of that has to do with the idiots we seem compelled to keep electing as president though.

 Sorry, that was my softening