The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is reminding summer holiday-makers, as well as Hajj and Umrah pilgrims, of the importance of ensuring they and any children, are fully up to date with all routine NHS vaccinations before travelling overseas - as well as checking they have any necessary additional vaccines for the countries and regions they are visiting.
Overseas travellers should check well in advance of their trip, to ensure they have enough time to get any necessary vaccinations - being mindful that it can take a few weeks following vaccination for the immunity to take effect. It is vital that anyone travelling, particularly young children who are more vulnerable to severe illness, are up to date with their routine NHS vaccinations - including MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella), polio, hepatitis, meningitis, and tetanus. This is because these infections can be more common in some countries.
Some regions and countries will also have specific vaccine requirements or entry restrictions, so it's important to have any additional necessary vaccinations to protect against serious health risks, as well as avoiding any travel complications or disruptions.
The Travel Health Pro website - supported by UKHSA - has up-to-date information on health risks in countries across the world and is a one-stop-shop for information to help people plan their trip abroad. Ideally travellers should consult their GP, practice nurse, pharmacist, or travel clinic 4 to 6 weeks before their trip for individual advice, travel vaccines and malaria prevention tablets, if relevant for their destination. Foreign travel advice is also available on GOV.UK.
Measles risk overseas
The World Health Organization recently repeated their warning on the growing measles threat due to sub-optimal vaccination rates around the world, highlighting that more than half the world faces high measles risk, including parts of Europe, where the organisation warned of a sharp increase in measles cases in the European region, putting millions at risk.
There is also a real concern of unvaccinated travellers bringing diseases like measles back into the UK from other countries experiencing high circulation, putting other unprotected family members, friends and those in their community at risk.
UKHSA's current childhood vaccinations campaign is reminding parents of the importance of ensuring their children are vaccinated on time. Parents should check their child's Red Book now to ensure that children have had their MMR and other routine vaccines. If you're unsure,
