Istanbul vaccinations

No vaccinations needed. Turkey is not a third world country, nor does it have tropical climate.

But you may need to take something to make you immune to all the bargains you'll find waiting to tempt you at the Grand Bazaar!

One thing to be aware of, there is a difference between what immunizations are required to get into the country, and what you may need to do to protect yourself. Foreign governments do not care about the second one. They only care about you infecting their populace, so the bar is low. The CDC, though some might say they are on the conservative side, has recommendations for those traveling to Turkey http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/turkey.aspx When I went to Malaysia on business, I brushed my teeth with bottled water, was careful about food, and still developed a somewhat serious digestive issue. Will not go into details. But I figure, if I could get that while being careful, hepatitis could also happen. That's a very serious disease you do not want to mess with. (I had already been immunized due to prior business travel to Bangkok.) Now CDC says get Hep-A vaccine for Czech Republic and Hungary too. That's based upon it being an "intermediate" risk. But my local travel health provider said, don't worry and you can brush your teeth with the water, too. So perhaps they are conservative. Travel health advice is readily available and I encourage you to get in touch with your health care provider, see what they think, decide for yourself.

Just check with your doctor. Figure it is also good to have a tetanus shot that is up to date and any for items you maybe more suspectible to. Others - there are places in modern countries and cities where you should avoid the tap water. Not just limited to less developed areas. Edwin

As with any travel, get your tetanus up to date. You may want to also include the Heps. Malaria prophylactic is not needed at all for Turkey. Talk to a travel health clinic. One thing to watch out for in Turkey (and avoid) is very fresh, soft cheeses - they carry a nasty bug. Bottled water is easily available and Efes beer is always a good choice ;-) Pack sunscreen. I agree, you will have to develop a healthy resistance to shopping and also to male charm.

What fresh soft cheeses? Can you give some more info on that? I'm taking the Turkey trip, too, and although I'd hate to miss good cheese, I'd just as soon miss bad bugs.
Thanks