All the information on this page is contained in our travel health advice leaflet which you can open by clicking here. ( PDF file)

You should attend for a travel consultation at least two months before your departure.
 

Travel Questionnaire - click here to open and print a copy ( PDF file) Please complete our travel questionnaire and bring to your appointment along with any old travel vaccination record cards you may have.

Some vaccinations cannot be given at the same time, and some take time to be effective. Immunisation against hepatitis B, for example, can take up to six months to give full protection. However, seek advice even if you are going at short notice - some protection may be better than none. It is important to inform your practice nurse where you are going, if you are or may become pregnant, and if you are taking children with you. This is particularly important if they have not had their full course of childhood immunisations.

If you need anti-malaria medication, your practice nurse will advise on which is most appropriate. You should start taking the medication before departure.

If you require prescribed medicines whilst abroad, check on their availability at your destination since your doctor can normally only prescribe a limited quantity under the NHS. If the medication cannot be obtained where you are going, you will have to purchase supplies in the UK.

Some immunisations are free under the NHS. For others there may be a charge.
Travel vaccines available at the surgery:

Hepatitis A (adult/junior)	no charge
Typhoid	no charge
Tetanus/Diptheria/Polio	no charge
Hepatitis B	£28 per vaccine normally a course of 3 or 4
Rabies	£38 per vaccine normally a course of 3
Meningitis ACWY	£42 per vaccine

You may be referred to a private Travel Clinic for other vaccines not available at the surgery:

• Yellow Fever
• Japanese Encephalitis
• Hepatitis A immunoglobulin

Some anti-malaria tablets are available to buy from pharmacists without a prescription. Others are only available on a private prescription, the surgery charges for a private prescription.

Private Prescription Fee
£10.00 + you will then have to pay the cost of the medication at the pharmacy.
 

Click here to open and print a malaria prescription request. ( PDF file)

It is also possible to purchase your malaria tablets from a private Travel Clinic.

Basic Principles for Preventing Malaria ( PDF file)

If you want to take any sort of medicine with you – either prescribed or bought from a pharmacist – find out if there are any restrictions on taking it in and out of the UK or the country you are visiting. Ask the relevant Embassy or High Commission or the Home Office Drugs Branch (Tel: 020 7217 8457/8446).

Always carry medicines in a correctly labelled container, as issued by the pharmacist. Otherwise take a letter from your doctor or a personal health record card giving details of the drug prescribed in case you need it to get you through Customs. Remember, some medicines available over the counter in the UK may be controlled in other countries, and vice versa.
 

EXISTING MEDICAL CONDITIONS & MEDICATION

Keep a written record on your person of any medical condition affecting you, such as angina pectoris, diabetes and haemophilia, and the proper names – not just the trade names – of any medication you are taking.
 

HAVE A DENTAL CHECK UP

If you have any doubts about your teeth, or you plan to be away for a long time, see your dentist. It may be difficult and expensive to obtain dental treatment at your destination.
 

EMERGENCY MEDICAL TRAVEL KITS

These contain a variety of sterilised and sealed items of equipment, such as syringes, needles and suture materials, and may be purchased through a pharmacist, private medical centre, or from a number of other suppliers. They should normally be handed to a doctor or nurse for use in a medical emergency in a country where the safety of such items cannot be assured.

Emergency medical travel kits should carry sufficient identification to ensure their acceptance by Customs officials, but the contents should not be opened until needed. It is also unwise to carry loose syringes or needles unless you have a doctor’s letter explaining their purpose – if, for example, you are diabetic.
 

HEALTH INSURANCE

Health insurance is very often one of the last items on a traveller’s checklist, yet it is perhaps the most important of all.

People tend to forget that they may have to pay thousands of pounds in medical costs if they fall ill or have an accident outside the UK. This is true even in countries, with which the UK has mutual health care agreements – because, even in such cases, the arrangements may not cover all the expenses you can incur. And the cost of bringing a person back to the UK, in the event of illness or death, is never covered, even under the reciprocal arrangements.

If you have a pre-existing condition, ALWAYS tell your travel insurer. Otherwise you may not be covered by the policy you buy.

If you are driving in any country outside the UK and you have an accident, you may not be covered for medical or hospital expenses. Consult your insurance company or a motoring organisation before leaving the UK to make sure that you are fully insured.

No matter where you are going to travel, ALWAYS check that your insurance cover is adequate to meet whatever expenses you are likely to have to incur. Always examine the small print of the policy. And talk to your insurer if in any doubt.
 

A FIRST AID KIT

A check list of items you should consider including:

• Emergency medications: these may include paracetamol tablets for headache and antacids for indigestion.
• Diarrhoea: fluid replacement powders can be useful especially for children. Anti-diarrhoea tablets can be obtained from your pharmacist and are normally used only by older children and adults (carefully read the instructions and ask the pharmacists advice).
• Minor injuries: gauze squares, non-adherent dressings, bandages, fabric plasters, adhesive tape, antiseptic, scissors, tweezers and safety pins.
• Bites: insect repellents and an antihistamine cream may be helpful.
• Sterilising water: tablets for emergencies (especially if filters are not being used)
• Sun exposure: sun-block and a cream for using after sunbathing

Report any illness treated abroad, any ongoing condition, especially fever, gastrointestinal problems and flu like illness up to one year after return.
Continue Malaria tablets as prescribed.
 

INDEPENDENT TRAVEL ADVICE

	www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk www.masta.org/ Telephone - MASTA 09068224100 www.travelhealth.co.uk www.dh.gov.uk

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