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Travel vaccinations

Published by Bupa's health information team, July 2009.

This factsheet is for people who would like information about travel vaccinations to prevent infection when abroad.

Depending on your destination, you may need to have vaccinations before you travel to prevent you from getting a disease while you are in the foreign country you are visiting.

About travel vaccinations
Why be vaccinated?
Which travel vaccinations may I need?
Getting vaccinated
Questions and answers
Related topics
Further information
Sources

About travel vaccinations

The requirements for immunisations change frequently and vary from country to country, and between regions in large countries. Always seek advice from your GP or a travel clinic.

You generally won't need new vaccinations if you are travelling to the United States, Western Europe, and most parts of Australia or New Zealand. But you should ensure your booster immunisations for diphtheria, tetanus and polio are up to date.

Before you travel, you should also check if you need to take malaria tablets to prevent a malaria infection.

Why be vaccinated?

Four in every 100 deaths due to travelling aboard are caused by infectious disease. Different countries can have diseases which are not found or are not common in the UK. Vaccinations protect you from becoming ill or dying from an infectious disease.

Which travel vaccinations may I need?

You may need to have a vaccination against one or more of the following:

hepatitis A
meningococcal meningitis
tetanus/ diphtheria/ polio booster
typhoid
yellow fever
cholera
hepatitis B
japanese encephalitis
tick-borne encephalitis
rabies

Hepatitis A

Anyone more than one year old who is travelling to an area with a high risk of hepatitis A infection should have the course of vaccines. Children under one are generally not at a high risk and won't be given the vaccine.

You usually need to have the first hepatitis A injection two weeks before you travel. This is to allow time to build up immunity but you can get the vaccination up to the day you travel. You will be given two doses of the vaccine which should protect you for 20 years after the date of the second dose. You only need the first injection before you travel. The second injection is given about six to 12 months later.

You can get a combined vaccine which protects against hepatitis A and B, or one which jointly protects against hepatitis A and typhoid. You need to have separate boosters for each disease for more long-term protection.

Meningococcal meningitis

If you're staying in a country at high risk of meningitis for a month or more, or you're backpacking or living in a rural area in these countries, you'll be given a combined vaccine against the A, C, W and Y strains of meningitis. Saudi Arabia requires proof of the ACWY vaccine.

You should have the combined vaccine two to three weeks before you plan to travel. A single dose is required for adults and for children over two years old. Children over two months and under two years need a second dose of vaccine three months after the first dose for long-term protection.

You and your children over five will need a booster every five years if you are at continued risk. Children under five need a booster every two to three years.

Tetanus/ diphtheria/ polio

If you're travelling to a country with tetanus, diphtheria or polio, you will need a booster of the tetanus/diphtheria/inactivated polio vaccine (Td/IPV) if you haven't had one for 10 or more years, or if you haven't been fully immunised before.

You will usually receive the tetanus/diphtheria/polio vaccines during childhood unless you were born before 1958 when the vaccine programmes were introduced. All adults and children aged 10 or over who have not had the courses should have three doses one month apart and two boosters. One booster is given five to 10 years later and the second 10 years after.

Typhoid

You may be able to have a combined typhoid and hepatitis A vaccination, if available. Once immunised you won't need another typhoid vaccination for three years.

Getting vaccinated is especially important if you're planning to stay in areas where sanitation and food hygiene are poor. You should also be careful not to drink contaminated water or eat contaminated foods.

Yellow fever

If you're going to or travelling through a country in sub-Saharan Africa or South America you need to get a yellow fever vaccination. If you have a child of less than nine months travelling with you, ask the health professional for advice. Some countries require you and any children travelling with you to show certificates to prove you have been vaccinated before you can enter.

A yellow fever vaccine should be given at least 10 days before you plan to travel. You can have a booster after 10 years if you are still at risk of yellow fever. You should also take precautions to prevent mosquito bites.

Cholera

If you will be working in relief or disaster areas or are going to a place where there are cholera epidemics and medical care is limited, you may need to have a cholera vaccination. Cholera is mainly found in places of poor hygiene and sanitation.

Two doses (which are taken by mouth) are given one week apart and the second dose must be given at least a week before departure. You shouldn't eat for one hour before or after the vaccination. Adults and children over six will need a booster two years after the second dose. Children between two and six need a booster after six months. The initial doses are needed if you haven't had a booster in the last two years.

Hepatitis B

You should have this vaccination if you are going to a country with widespread hepatitis B. You are more at risk if you have unsafe sex, are undertaking relief work or are participating in contact sports. If you are planning to stay in an area with hepatitis B for a long time, are visiting friends or relatives with chronic hepatitis B infection, are adopting a child from a country with widespread hepatitis B, or require medical care while travelling, you should also consider having a hepatitis B vaccination.

You will need three doses. After the first dose, you will need the second a month later and the third dose five months after the second dose.

If you need to be vaccinated quickly, you can ask for a rapid schedule and have a full course over 3 weeks or 2 months.

Japanese encephalitis

You should generally have three doses to allow immunity to develop. After the first dose, you will need the second dose a week later. The third dose is needed three weeks after the second dose. You will then need a booster every two to three years if you are at continued risk of Japanese encephalitis.

If time is limited, you can have two doses one week part. The second dose needs to be 10 days before you travel. You will need a booster three months after the second dose. You should also take precautions to prevent mosquito bites.

Tick-borne encephalitis

There are different types of this disease which are linked to the area they are found in: European, Far-Eastern and Siberian.

You will be given three doses of the vaccine. The first dose, the second dose one to three months later, then the third dose five to 12 months after the second one.

If you need more immediate protection you can have two doses, two weeks apart.

Rabies

You may need a rabies vaccination if:

you are travelling for a month or more to an area where the risk of rabies is high (eg a jungle where animals can bite you) and safe medical care isn't easily accessible
you are travelling for less than a month but may be exposed to rabies due to your activities
you would have limited access to medical care if you were bitten
you work overseas with animals in countries with rabies

The vaccine is usually given in three doses. After the first dose, you will need the second seven days later. The third dose is given three weeks after the second dose. You then need a booster between two to five years later, depending on the type of vaccine given. Ask the health professional for advice.

Getting vaccinated

As part of your travel plans, you should organise a visit to your GP or a travel clinic to have any vaccinations you may need. This should be about six weeks before you travel. You may need a course of vaccinations which will involve two or three injections at different times over a few weeks. This time between injections lets your body respond to the vaccine so you develop immunity to protect you against infection. Vaccine injections are generally given in the upper arm or on the outside of the upper thigh.

If there are less than six weeks before you plan to travel, you should still go to your GP to ask for advice before you set off. You may still be able to be vaccinated. There may be an option to have a course of injections over a shorter period.

You will have to pay for travel vaccinations.