Help
What Immunisations Do I Need? Country-by-Country Guide for Travellers
| Published: 9th July 2019 17:22 |
If you are planning on travelling to another country, there is a chance you might need a vaccination beforehand, as some countries pose a high risk when it comes to certain diseases or viruses.
Whereas you likely have had several vaccinations already, these are routine vaccinations that immunise you against multiple common diseases at home but they will not cover all of the potential infectious diseases you could be exposed to when travelling the world.
Vaccinations are available to protect you against things like:
● Typhoid
● Yellow Fever
● Hepatitis A
Although there are many other diseases that may pose a risk depending on where you are travelling.
When and How Should I Get Vaccinated?
Across the UK, there are some high-quality travel clinics dotted around the country, such as Clari Health for example, who provide the most convenient way to get travel vaccinations in Leeds and have clinics in several other cities too.
If you live somewhere rural where you don’t have access to such travel clinics, you may have to book a GP appointment. You should generally aim to get vaccinated around 8 weeks before travelling, but since doing it via a GP can take longer, we recommend aiming for 10 weeks if going this route.
You may be at an even higher risk if you’re:
● Staying in low budget hostels or camping outside
● Travelling for a long time/visiting multiple countries
● Backpacking
● Visiting high-risk locations such as the jungle
Besides vaccinations, you should also consider taking general steps to prevent your health such as taking mosquito repellant and malaria prevention tablets if visiting a country where malaria is a threat.
Which Vaccines Do I Need?
The risks and threats posed by certain countries do change often as diseases get eradicated or reintroduced, so you need to go to your GP or a travel clinic to get a 100% accurate, up to date answer.
However, here is a general guide of the countries that most commonly require vaccinations to visit and which vaccinations are recommended for each:
The following vaccinations are free of charge on the NHS to all who are travelling abroad, so you should get them regardless of which country you’re visiting:
● Diphtheria
● Polio
● Tetanus
● Typhoid
● Cholera
● Hepatitis A
The risk of these individual diseases varies by country of course, but they are present globally which is why they are recommended regardless of where you are travelling.
As for other, more specific vaccinations, the following are highly recommended when travelling to the corresponding countries. If a country isn’t listed here, it’s usually either considered low risk or is fine to travel to with the standard routine vaccinations, but in this case, we recommend still checking with a medical professional to be safe.
Algeria
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Certain people may still be at risk of other diseases, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
Bolivia
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Immunisation against rabies is also highly recommended for certain people though, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
Barbados
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Certain people may still be at risk of other diseases, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling. There was a major outbreak of Dengue Fever in Barbados in 2017, and no vaccination exists yet, so the main strategy for prevention is mosquito repellant and other bite avoidance products.
Burkina Faso
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Immunisation against rabies, MMR and meningitis ACWY is also highly recommended for certain people though, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
Cape Verde
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Immunisation against MMR is also highly recommended for certain people though, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
Chile
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Immunisation against rabies is also highly recommended for certain people though, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
Congo (DRC)
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above, however, there is an ongoing Cholera outbreak to be aware of. Certain people may still be at risk of other diseases such as MMR and rabies, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
Costa Rica
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Certain people may still be at risk of other diseases, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
Djibouti
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Immunisation against rabies & MMR is also highly recommended for certain people though, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
Egypt
All travellers are recommended to get both the routine vaccinations listed above and MMR as Egypt poses a high risk of MMR alongside the regular risks.
El Salvador
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above but there is a high risk of Zika virus, for which there is no current vaccination. Certain people may still be at risk of other diseases, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
Fiji
All travellers are recommended to get both the routine vaccinations listed above and tetanus as Fiji poses a high risk of tetanus alongside the regular risks.
Gabon
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Certain people may still be at risk of other diseases, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
Gambia
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Immunisation against rabies, meningitis ACWY & MMR is also highly recommended for certain people though, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
Grenada
All travellers are recommended to get both the routine vaccinations listed above and tetanus as Grenada poses a high risk of tetanus alongside the regular risks.
Honduras
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Immunisation against rabies, meningitis ACWY & MMR is also highly recommended for certain people though, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
India
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Immunisation against rabies, MMR, Yellow Fever and Japanese Encephalitis is also highly recommended for certain people though, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
Mali
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Immunisation against rabies, MMR, Yellow Fever and Japanese Encephalitis is also highly recommended for certain people though, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
Mauritania
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Immunisation against rabies, MMR, Yellow Fever and Meningitis ACWY is also highly recommended for certain people though, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
Mongolia
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Immunisation against rabies, MMR and Tick-Borne Encephalitis is also highly recommended for certain people though, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
Namibia
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Immunisation against rabies and MMR is also highly recommended for certain people though, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
Nigeria
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Immunisation against meningitis ACWY, yellow fever, rabies and MMR is also highly recommended for certain people though, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling. There is also a major ongoing cholera outbreak in Nigeria to be aware of, although it is rare with travellers and already covered in the standard immunizations listed above.
Rwanda
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Immunisation against rabies, Yellow Fever and Meningitis ACWY is also highly recommended for certain people though, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
Sierra Leone
All travellers to Sierra Leone require Yellow Fever immunisations in addition to the standard immunisations due to a high risk of Yellow Fever in the country.
South Sudan
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Immunisation against rabies, MMR, Yellow Fever and Meningitis ACWY is also highly recommended for certain people though, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
Suriname
All travellers to Suriname require Yellow Fever immunisations in addition to the standard immunisations due to a high risk of Yellow Fever in the country.
Taiwan
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Immunisation against MMR and Japanese Encephalitis is also highly recommended for certain people though, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
Tanzania
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Immunisation against MMR, Yellow Fever and Meningitis ACWY is also highly recommended for certain people though, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
Tunisia
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Immunisation against MMR is also highly recommended for certain people though, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
Uganda
All travellers to Uganda require Yellow Fever immunisations in addition to the standard immunisations due to a high risk of Yellow Fever in the country.
Venezuela
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Immunisation against MMR, Yellow Fever and rabies is also highly recommended for certain people though, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling. It’s also worth noting that Venezuela is currently experiencing a major Diphtheria outbreak.
Vietnam
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Immunisation against MMR, Yellow Fever, rabies and Japanese Encephalitis is also highly recommended for certain people though, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
Zambia
General recommended vaccinations for all travellers are just the routine vaccinations listed above. Immunisation against MMR, yellow fever, and rabies is also highly recommended for certain people though, so see your GP or visit a travel clinic before travelling.
Report this article as inappropriate
Comments
You need to log in before you can do that! It's only a quick registration process to join the AMA network and completely free.
Loading...
Help