Going anywhere nice this year?
What do I need to know?
It’s that time of year again when we are looking forward to the summer holidays and organising long haul foreign trips.As if the ‘to do’ list isn’t long enough already, there's usually one thing which appears at the bottom of the list and does deserve a little more priority – travel vaccines.
Often left until the last minute, most vaccines do require at least 2 weeks before you are considered protected. Some tropical destinations require 6 weeks before protection is assured.You will probably need to contact a private health clinic, as not all NHS practices offer a travel vaccines service and vaccines aren’t available as NHS prescriptions.
What should I be doing?
- Check an accredited travel website for required and recommended vaccines
- Consider the risk level: camping & trekking in swampy areas or staying in hotels with access to bottled water
- Ask the clinic for a country risk assessment
- Check the malaria status, some countries will require you to take malaria tablets, often a week before you travel
- Keep your vaccination certificates with your passport whilst travelling
- A Yellow Fever Certificate is a requirement for entry to some countries
- Keep a spare copy of your vaccination record
- Remember some vaccines require boosters 1, 3 or 6 months after the first dose
- For European travel obtain your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) card free from www.dh.gov.uk
Really Useful Information:
Travel Health Advice www.nathnac.org
Foreign Office Travel Advice www.fco.gov.uk