With summer fast approaching, many people will be planning their getaways, with bookings made, clothes being bought and passports checked to ensure they are in-date. Glasgow Airport will soon be joining others getting busy in the great summer getaway.
However, whether your summer holiday will be happening in early summer or whether it has to wait for the school holidays, you will also need to check if you need to take care of some extra medical needs. In some cases, you should book a visit to our travel health clinic in Glasgow to get the jabs and other treatments you might require.
Of course, if your holiday is in the UK you won’t need anything like that and in most developed countries, such as Europe or the US and Canada, the only extra concern should be to have your travel insurance in place (especially for America). But elsewhere, there is much to consider.
It is when you travel to the tropics that you are likely to start to need inoculations, but where exactly you go will determine what you need.
Yellow Fever is one example of this. According to World Health Organization (WHO) data published last year, this disease, which is spread through mosquito bites, is endemic in 34 African countries and 13 in Latin America. While only occasionally fatal, it is a nasty virus to get and definitely not something you want on holiday.
Therefore, if you are travelling to a country where yellow fever is endemic, you should get vaccinated. Some of these countries will require proof of vaccination. Fortunately, modern vaccines against the disease are effective for life, whereas in the past a booster would be needed after ten years.
Hepatitis is another viral infection you can get mainly in the tropics. A viral liver disease, it is currently killing an increasing number of people, according to the WHO. This is largely down to low vaccination rates in developing countries. But you can get your jabs before you go.
Hepatitis A It is usually caught from unclean water, although intimate contact with an infected person can also spread it. The virus is common in sub-Saharan Africa, much of Asia and Latin America. The vaccine is not routinely offered to people in the UK, so you should only get it if you are travelling to an at-risk country or in close contact with an infected person.
Similarly, Hepatitis B is a risk only in certain places, including parts of Africa and Africa, although there is also a risk in the Pacific Islands and some parts of eastern Europe. Once again, a vaccine is available.
However, it is worth noting that infection risks for both A and B versions are increased by activities such as unprotected sexual contact and needle sharing, which are risky activities you should avoid anyway.
Some other treatments will depend on where you go. Antimalarial tablets will usually be issued for trips to Sub-Saharan Africa, but rabies, while a deadly risk, can be treated with a course of injections just after a potentially infected scratch or bite. You should not need a jab unless you are going to be around potentially infected animals, like veterinary work.
It makes sense to see your GP and establish what you need, then get your jabs well in advance so they can take effect before you go.