Travel Vaccinations – Princes Gardens Surgery

With world travel becoming commonplace the task of ensuring correct vaccination cover and disease prevention is becoming specialised.

We no longer offer specific travel clinics for patients travelling abroad. However we will continue to provide vaccinations for certain conditions as advised by Public Health England.

Use the link to access advice on the different vaccinations : NHS Choices travel vaccinations

Free travel vaccinations

The following travel vaccinations are usually available free on the NHS:

diphtheria, polio and tetanus (combined booster)
typhoid
hepatitis A – including when combined with typhoid or hepatitis B

These vaccines are usually free because they protect against diseases thought to represent the greatest risk to public health if they were brought into the country.

Private travel vaccinations

We do not provide the following vaccinations and you will be required to go to a specialist travel clinic and pay for these vaccinations:

hepatitis B when not combined with hepatitis A
Japanese encephalitis and tick-borne encephalitis
meningitis vaccines
rabies
tuberculosis (TB)
yellow fever

When you book an appointment for your travel vaccinations it would be a massive help to our nurses if you could provide a print out of the vaccinations you require for the country you are visiting. You can use the following websites for advice and to provide a print out:

www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk

www.travelinjections4u.co.uk

Plan Ahead

Get advice about vaccinations at least eight weeks before you’re due to travel. If you do need new vaccinations, some jabs need to be given well in advance so that they can work properly.

You also need to make sure your existing vaccinations for the UK are up-to-date, such as polio and tetanus. If they’re not, you can arrange booster jabs.

Things to consider

There are several things to consider when planning your travel vaccinations, including:

the country or countries you are visiting – some diseases are more common in certain parts of the world and less common in others
when you are travelling – some diseases are more common at certain times of the year, for example during the rainy season
where you are staying – in general, you will be more at risk of disease in rural areas than in urban areas, and if you are backpacking and staying in hostels or camping, you may be more at risk than if you were on a package holiday and staying in a hotel
how long you will be staying – the longer your stay, the greater your risk of being exposed to diseases
your age and health – some people may be more vulnerable to infection than others, while some vaccinations cannot be given to people with certain medical conditions
what you will be doing during your stay – for example, whether you will be spending a lot of time outdoors, such as trekking or working in rural areas
if you are working as an aid worker – you may come into contact with more diseases if you are working in a refugee camp or helping after a natural disaster
if you are working in a medical setting – for example, a doctor or nurse may require additional vaccinations
if you are in contact with animals – in this case, you may be more at risk of getting diseases that are spread by animals, such as rabies

If you are only travelling to countries in northern and central Europe, North America or Australia, it is unlikely that you will need to have any vaccinations.

Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Speak to our Practice Nurse before having any vaccinations if:

you are pregnant
you think you might be pregnant
you are breastfeeding

In many cases, it is unlikely that a vaccine given while pregnant or breastfeeding will cause problems for the baby.

People with immune deficiencies

For some people travelling overseas, vaccination against certain diseases may not be advised. This may be the case if:

you have a condition that affects your body’s immune system, such as HIV or AIDS
you are receiving treatment that affects your immune system, such as chemotherapy
you have recently had a bone marrow or organ transplant

Further Information Visit: