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You’ve booked your flight and accommodation. Your itinerary is all planned out with places to see and things to do, but is your travel checklist complete? Staying healthy while travelling abroad requires preparation of at least 4-8 weeks ahead of your departure. At this time, you need to get the necessary vaccinations, medications, and insurance to ensure your holiday is everything you dreamed it would be.
For UK travellers, taking the right health precautions before you go is essential. From understanding potential health risks at your destination to ensuring you are adequately protected before departure, a little forward planning can help prevent illness and ensure you enjoy your trip with peace of mind, enabling you to stay healthy as a British traveller.
Follow this guide to ensure you protect your health while travelling abroad:
Pre-Travel Preparation
At least 4-8 weeks ahead of your departure, you must visit your nearest travel clinic or GP. This is important because some vaccinations require multiple doses over several weeks. When you visit the clinic, check that your regular UK vaccines – like MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), Tdap (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis), and polio – are current. Then you need to get your travel-specific vaccinations and preventative medications, which are as follows, according to destination:
Africa:
- Cholera (specifically if you visit the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, or Somalia)
- Chikungunya
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Malaria (not a vaccine, but essential for many parts of the continent)
- Meningitis ACWY
- Rabies
- Yellow fever
Asia:
• Chikungunya
• Cholera (specifically when travelling to South or Central Asia)
• Diphtheria
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Japanese Encephalitis (specifically when travelling to China, Taiwan, and Japan)
• Malaria (not a vaccine, but essential for high-risk areas)
• Polio
• Rabies
• Tetanus
• Typhoid
Australasia & Pacific:
• Diphtheria
• Hepatitis A
• Japanese Encephalitis (specifically in rural or agricultural areas of countries like Papua New Guinea, parts of Indonesia, and northern Australia)
• Polio
• Tetanus
• Typhoid
Caribbean:
• Cholera (specifically if you visit Haiti)
• Diphtheria
• Hepatitis A
• Polio
• Tetanus
• Typhoid
• Yellow fever
Central America:
• Chikungunya
• Diphtheria
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Malaria (not a vaccine, but essential for many parts of the continent)
• Polio
• Rabies
• Tetanus
• Typhoid
Europe & Russia:
• Chikungunya
• Diphtheria
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Polio
• Tetanus
• Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE)
• Typhoid
Middle East:
• Cholera (specifically when visiting Yemen, Iraq, or Syria)
• Diphtheria
• Hepatitis A
• Meningitis B
• Polio
• Tetanus
• Typhoid
North America:
• Chikungunya
• Diphtheria
• Hepatitis A
• Polio
• Rabies
• Tetanus
• Typhoid
South America & Antarctica:
• Chikungunya
• Diphtheria
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Malaria (not a vaccine, but essential for many parts of South America)
• Polio
• Tetanus
• Typhoid
• Yellow fever
Your travel clinic will administer the vaccinations according to the specific area you are visiting. If you’re travelling with your family, make sure they also receive the necessary vaccines, and consult your paediatrician if you are travelling with an infant aged between 6 and 11 months.
Malaria Protection
While there’s no vaccine for malaria, there are anti-malaria tablets that should be taken before, during and after travelling to high-risk areas.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is essential when travelling abroad. After booking your flights, confirm with your insurer that your destination, pre-existing conditions, and activities are covered – especially if you are going to partake in some daredevil adventures. If you are travelling in the EU or Switzerland, ensure you take your valid Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) or European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) with you for state-provided care.
Travelling with Prescription Medication
If you are taking prescription medication for a pre-existing condition with you whilst travelling, you need to verify whether or not the medication is legal in the country you’re visiting. If your prescription medication is illegal or restricted, talk to your doctor and see if you can’t get an alternative. Otherwise, get a medical certificate or secure an import permit from the country’s embassy. The last thing you want to do is get into trouble for something that could’ve been avoided.
Pack a Health Kit
While shopping for your holiday, you should also purchase a few essential items to create a travel health kit that you can carry with you in your hand luggage. Ensure you keep these items in their original packaging with a copy of your prescription. The items include:
Medication:
• Pain relief tablets, like paracetamol or ibuprofen
• Antihistamines to help you treat allergies
• Rehydration salts to prevent dehydration
• Medication for diarrhoea
• Motion sickness tablets
First Aid:
• Antiseptic cream or wipes
• Plasters
• Blister pads
• Tweezers
• Digital thermometer
Protection:
• Sunscreen with a high SPF count
• Insect repellent containing DEET – particularly if you are going to areas where malaria is a common threat.
• Condoms
Comfort:
• Hand sanitiser with high alcohol content
• Antibacterial gel
• Antibacterial wipes
• Earplugs
Staying Healthy During Your Trip
Once you reach your destination, there are a few things you can do to safeguard your health:
Food and Water Safety
When it comes to food, the golden rule to follow is: “cook it, boil it, peel it, or forget it.” If self-catering is not on your to-do list, do the necessary research to pick clean, reputable restaurants. The primary concern for these establishments is to prevent any incidents of foodborne illness among their customers, as such incidents could significantly harm their reputation and adversely affect their business operations.
Safe, clean water is a major problem in certain parts of the world. It is therefore advised that you stay hydrated by drinking only bottled or sealed water. You can take it one step further by avoiding ice in your drinks. The ice is more likely than not made with the same water you’re advised not to drink, so it’s better to be safe than sorry and avoid it altogether.
Hand Hygiene
Be sure to wash your hands frequently with soap and water, especially before eating. If that’s not possible, make use of antibacterial gel or wipes.
Sun Protection
For UK travellers, it is best to avoid direct sunlight during the peak hours of the day. Also, when you’re outside, use a good sunscreen with a high SPF count and wear a hat and sunglasses.
Prevent Insect Bites
Always use insect repellent and preferably wear long-sleeved, loose clothing in areas where dengue, zika, or malaria is a risk to your health. Furthermore, use insect-treated bed nets to keep the insects away while you’re sleeping.
DVT Prevention
Long-haul flights may increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). To prevent this from happening, stay hydrated, stretch your legs, and walk regularly to keep the blood flow moving.
Managing Illness Overseas
If you become ill while abroad, seek medical care as early as possible.
When To Seek Emergency Medical Care
In case you develop a fever of 38˚C or higher, or experience persistent or bloody diarrhoea, it is imperative that you seek immediate medical attention.
Call Your Insurer
You should call your travel insurance emergency hotline if you experience a major incident. They can help you to arrange for treatment and, if necessary, repatriation.
Animal Bites
Rabies can be fatal, so if you get bitten or scratched by an animal, make sure you immediately clean the wound with soap and clean water, apply disinfectant, and then seek medical care.
Back in the UK
If you experience any symptoms of illness upon your return to the UK – particularly after visiting an area with malaria risk – promptly seek medical attention and inform your doctor of your recent travel history. Moreover, if you were in the tropics and came into contact with freshwater, ask your doctor about a schistosomiasis test. The test helps detect if you have schistosomiasis (bilharzia), which is a chronic disease caused by parasitic worms found in contaminated freshwater. The test can be done 6 to 12 weeks after potential exposure.
Conclusion
This is merely a guide to help you stay healthy while travelling abroad. If you are unsure about anything or have questions regarding your chosen destination and the possible health risks you may face, speak to a medical professional at your local travel clinic. With their experience and knowledge, they can steer you in the right direction to ensure that you, as a UK traveller, can enjoy the holiday of your dreams.
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