Contacting the surgery on 01440 841 300

• Explain that you will be travelling and need travel vaccinations
• You will need to collect a travel questionnaire from the surgery prior to your appointment, you must bring the completed questionnaire to your appointment.

Which jabs do I need?

You can find out which vaccinations are necessary or recommended for the areas you’ll be visiting on these two websites:

• NHS fitfortravel
• The National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC)

Please ensure you leave sufficient time to have all of your travel vaccinations done before your travel date. 

The following travel vaccinations are usually available free on the NHS:

• diphtheria, polio and tetanus (combined booster)
• typhoid
• hepatitis A – including when combined with typhoid or hepatitis B
• cholera

These vaccines are usually free because they protect against diseases thought to represent the greatest risk to public health if they were brought into the country.

Private travel vaccinations

You're likely to have to pay for travel vaccinations against:

• hepatitis B when not combined with hepatitis A
• Japanese encephalitis and tick-borne encephalitis
• meningitis vaccines 
• rabies
• tuberculosis (TB)
• yellow fever

Yellow fever vaccines are only available from designated centres. The NaTHNaC website can help you find a clinic offering yellow fever vaccination.

 Speak to your GP before having any vaccinations if:

• you're pregnant
• you think you might be pregnant
• you're breastfeeding

In many cases, it's unlikely a vaccine given while pregnant or breastfeeding will cause problems for the baby. However, your GP will be able to give you further advice about this.

There are several things to consider when planning your travel vaccinations, including:

• the country or countries you're visiting– some diseases are more common in certain parts of the world and less common in others. 
• when you're travelling– some diseases are more common at certain times of the year; for example, during the rainy season.
• where you're staying– in general, you'll be more at risk of disease in rural areas than in urban areas, and if you're backpacking and staying in hostels or camping, you may be more at risk than if you were on a package holiday and staying in a hotel.
• how long you'll be staying– the longer your stay, the greater your risk of being exposed to diseases.
• your age and health– some people may be more vulnerable to infection than others, while some vaccinations can't be given to people with certain medical conditions.
• what you'll be doing during your stay– for example, whether you'll be spending a lot of time outdoors, such as trekking or working in rural areas.
• if you're working as an aid worker– you may come into contact with more diseases if you're working in a refugee camp or helping after a natural disaster.
• if you're working in a medical setting– for example, a doctor or nurse may require additional vaccinations.
• if you are in contact with animals– in this case, you may be more at risk of getting diseases spread by animals, such as rabies.

If you're only travelling to countries in northern and central Europe, North America or Australia, you're unlikely to need any vaccinations.

If possible, see your GP at least eight weeks before you're due to travel. Some vaccinations need to be given well in advance to allow your body to develop immunity. Some also involve multiple doses spread over several weeks.