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It's that time of the year and everyone seems to be hastily preparing for their summer holidays. If you’re simply enjoying a staycation in the UK then it's unlikely that you will need any travel vaccinations, but if you're going abroad then you’ll need to plan ahead.
Travel vaccinations are crucial for protecting you against some important infectious diseases that you may encounter while abroad. Typhoid for example, is widespread throughout the tropics and without treatment can cause, severe, life-threatening sepsis. It's likely that you will need hospital treatment and without appropriate antibiotics you may not survive.
Yellow fever is another serious infection, spread by mosquitoes and is present in parts of South America and Africa. 50% of people who develop symptoms succumb to the disease and although there is no treatment, there is a very effective vaccine.
In this article, we’ll focus on the following areas:
Recommended timeline for travel vaccinations
Vaccinations need time to work effectively, and this usually happens over several weeks. (you can read our article for a more detailed explanation of how vaccines work.)
This means you need to plan your travel vaccinations in the same way as your itinerary. In fact, you will need to consider the travel injections and the various risks you might be exposed to before you decide on your destination, because if you’re aware of the risks, you can potentially avoid a holiday that puts your health at risk. If you’re pregnant, for example, contracting malaria is serious to both you and your baby’s health. We’ll therefore advise you not to travel to parts of Africa where there's a high risk of malaria unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Because it takes time for your immune system to respond to a vaccine, you’ll need to start your holiday vaccinations 4-6 weeks before your trip. This timeline is also necessary as some vaccine schedules, like the rabies vaccination, are over a month, and some even longer.
Consulting a travel clinic
Specialised travel clinics can offer a very individualised travel risk assessment and health advice. At Health Klinix, firstly we look at you, the individual, and your specific risks based on your medical conditions, age, medications, etc. We then look at your specific destination and itinerary. The accommodation where you will be staying, the activities you take part in and the landscape, all play their part in the health advice we offer and the travel vaccinations we might recommend.
Let's take a couple of examples to illustrate what we mean. If you're going to go deep into the Amazonian rainforests, then it's almost certain that we’ll be recommending the yellow fever vaccine, if it's safe for you. But remember it’s not always about travel vaccinations; if you're staying in basic accommodation such as huts in the Amazon, we’ll also inform you about the risks of American Trypanosomiasis, a serious parasitic infection transmitted by the Triatomine bug. We’ll also make you aware of the Bot fly and how it can affect you. Health clinics will also be able to offer advice on other travel health related risks such as malaria and food and water safety.
However, if you’re going on the Inca trail in Peru, we might need to advise you on altitude sickness and how best to prevent it. In this case you might not even need the yellow fever vaccination.
So, it's crucial that you contact us early so that we can complete your travel vaccination schedule ahead of your departure.
Types of travel vaccines and their timing
The travel vaccines you need, as we’ve already alluded to, is dependent on you, the traveller, and your destination. Common travel vaccinations include typhoid, hepatitis A, cholera, rabies, yellow fever, hepatitis B and Japanese encephalitis.
Just be aware that although some are single vaccine shots, others require several doses over a period of four weeks. The table below will give you an idea offer some of the vaccines and their schedules.
Common Travel Vaccination Schedules
Vaccine | Schedule | Additional information |
Typhoid | Single dose | |
Hepatitis A | 0, 6-12 months | |
Rabies | 0,7,28 days | Accelerated vaccine schedule available |
Yellow fever | Single dose | Lifelong vaccine |
Cholera | Single dose or 2 doses over 7 days | |
Japanese encephalitis | 0, 28 days | Accelerated vaccine schedule available |
Hepatitis B | 0,1 and 6 months | Accelerated vaccine schedule available |
Considerations for special cases
At Health Klinix, we’ll offer you travel health advice based on your individual needs. The advice is specific to you and your circumstances. If you're pregnant, elderly or have young children, this is particularly relevant. This is where Health Klinix can offer specialist, trusted and expert advice, so that you and your family can travel safely.
Pregnant women
If you're pregnant, some vaccines are not safe (for example, live vaccines) We'd also advise you against travelling to areas where there is a high risk of malaria. Please also remember that many parts of the world now have zika virus present and you'll need to be aware whether there is risk of zika virus infection in your destination country.
Older people
If you're a senior citizen or have multiple medical problems, you need to make sure that as well as your travel vaccinations, you're up to date with your influenza and pneumococcal vaccination. We’ll also have a lower threshold for recommending travel vaccinations and malaria prophylaxis as there's often a higher risk of serious consequences in older people and those with pre-existing medical conditions.
Young children and babies
Some vaccines are not licensed in the very young or may require a different dose or schedule. For more details, see our blog on travel vaccinations for children and babies.
Last minute traveller
Whilst we always encourage you to attend our clinic at least 6 weeks before you travel, it's still important that last minute travellers are given appropriate advice and relevant vaccinations. We've already mentioned that some vaccinations consist of several doses in their schedule over a month. If you booked your holiday very late, we can often offer you accelerated vaccine schedules to try and fit as many doses as possible before you go. Even if you don't complete the course, a partial or single course will give you some protection and certainly better than no vaccine at all. In any case, the course can be continued where you left off after you return; you won’t have to start the course again.
Preparing for holiday vaccinations
Your holiday vaccinations will also be determined by some of your activities and locations in your destination country or countries. If you’re going on a pilgrimage to the Hajj or Umra then the meningitis ACWY vaccination with a vaccine certificate will be mandatory. You’ll need this vaccination certificate (just like the yellow fever vaccination certificate for some countries) to obtain a visa for entry.
On the other hand, if you’re cycling or hiking away from main tourist sites through Asia, you’ll want to consider rabies vaccination, but remember this course is usually over one month.
Whatever your itinerary, preparation and planning your holiday vaccinations is vital, so here are some useful tips so that you plan your vaccinations at the same time as booking your once in a lifetime trip.
3 months in advance (at least)
Plan your trip and destination. As we've already said, think about your personal circumstances and whether it's appropriate for you to travel to a particular holiday destination. Health Klinix would be happy to advise you before you book your holiday.
3 months in advance
Contact your GP for your holiday vaccinations. Your family doctor will usually require a bit of notice, but they can offer you some vaccinations free of charge (typhoid, hepatitis A, diphtheria, polio and tetanus) Just bear in mind that not all GPs are offer travel vaccinations.
6 weeks before you travel
At least 6 weeks before you do travel, call an independent travel clinic, like Health Klinix, for specialist travel vaccinations. They can also offer other holiday vaccinations that your GP wasn't able to offer, as well as malaria tablets and general travel health advice. We’ll need 6 weeks because some vaccine schedules such as rabies and the Japanese encephalitis vaccine are usually given over one month. If you're in a rush, we can do it quicker (see above under considerations for special cases.)
Other health precautions
We’re often asked by our clients, ‘What jabs do I need for such and such a country?’ It's important to realise that it's not just all about all about vaccinations. You need to consider other health risks that are not preventable with vaccines. There are a whole range of infections transmitted by insects and mosquitoes such as dengue, zika, chikungunya and various rickettsial infections that are transmitted by tick bites. Although there's a vaccine for dengue it’s currently only recommended to those individuals who have had previous dengue fever.
There are also other health hazards and so you need to consider travel products not only to prevent illness, but also to relieve symptoms should you fall ill.
Here are some examples:
Prevention
50% DEET insect repellent and mosquito nets
To protect you from infections transmitted by insects such as Dengue, Zika, Chikungunya and various Rickettsial infections transmitted by ticks.
High altitude sickness tablets acetazolamide (Diamox)
Speak to your travel clinic about this if you're reaching high altitude. You might be at risk of high-altitude sickness (above 2800 metres) and you’ll need advice on whether high altitude sickness tablets are appropriate for you.
Oral rehydration solution
This will be very useful in replenishing your body salts and fluids if you become dehydrated or have diarrhoea.
First aid kits
For minor injuries whilst you seek further medical help
All of the above products are available for sale at Health Klinix. If you'd like to purchase any of our products, please e-mail us or give us a call on 02476 016519.
Key messages
When you're planning a holiday there's a lot to think about but remember your health is important and travel vaccinations should be high on your list of priorities.
Our key messages are:
Travel vaccinations are important in keeping you safe and healthy
There’s no treatment available for some tropical infections but vaccinations can be very effective
Vaccine take time to work so plan ahead (at least 4-6 weeks)
Contact your travel clinic at an early stage for a comprehensive travel health risk assessment. We’ll advise you on not only your holiday vaccinations but offer other health advice
Health Klinix are specialists in travel health and can offer you expert advice on travel vaccinations even if you have complex needs. You can easily book an appointment online or alternatively, why not call us on 02476 016519 for an informal chat.
References:
Reviewed and approved by:
Dr Ravi Gowda, Consultant in Infectious Diseases and Travel Medicine
MBBS, MRCP(UK), DTM&H, MRCGP, DCH, DRCOG, DFFP
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