Safety abroad

Today we have students from the University of Nottingham joining Evans Pharmacy on a placement visit. As part of this experience we have challenged them to come up with a public health message for our website. Below is their message. Many thanks for your help today, from all at Evans Pharmacy.

In order to stay safe abroad, you may need to be vaccinated against serious diseases depending on which country you are visiting.

How do you know what vaccinations you need?

Visit the following websites for information regarding the specific vaccinations required for the country you are visiting:

• NHS Fit For Travel: http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/destinations.aspx
• Travel Health Pro: https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/countries

What happens if you don’t get travel vaccinations?

• You are more susceptible to infections such as yellow fever, typhoid and hepatitis A
• In some countries, you could be refused entry without an International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP) e.g. Saudi Arabia requires proof of vaccination against certain types of meningitis

Where can you get travel vaccinations?

We offer a travel vaccine service in all of our pharmacies, please contact us for further advice.

Top tips:

• Remember not all vaccinations are available on the NHS
• Make sure to plan ahead. You should get advice at least eight weeks before you’re due to travel, as some jabs need to be given well in advance. If you are due to travel at short notice we can still help you contact one of our branches as soon as possible.
• For some people travelling overseas, vaccination against certain diseases may not be advised, please contact one of our pharmacies for advice.
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women should ask their pharmacist before having a travel vaccine.
• Consider how long you are staying for and the season or time of year you are visiting (e.g. rainy season) as this may affect what vaccinations you need. Please let your pharmacist know about travel plans.
• Getting your travel vaccination is also a good chance to ensure your other non-travel vaccinations are up to date