Travel vaccinations

When travelling abroad, particularly to exotic countries, it is definitely not worth taking the risk of coming back with health problems. It is particularly true when you travel to countries where you can expect poor sanitary conditions, lower quality of medical care or insects that you do not usually have contact with, but that will readily come into contact with you, at the same time, transmitting infectious diseases.

Most of vaccinations are not required, but they are definitely recommended for your own good and safety.

Required travel vaccinations 

Currently, the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates only one infectious disease against which vaccination is required when travelling to some African and Central and South American countries – it is yellow fever. 

Yellow fever vaccine – where is it required?

In addition, a vaccination against meningitis is required before entering Saudi Arabia – you will not be allowed to enter this country without the vaccination.

In order to evidence that you have had your vaccination, you will need to have an ICVP (International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis) so-cold yellow book that is issued by travel medicine clinics or vaccination centres. In the ICVP you will have all your vaccinations documented, including those that are recommended but not required.

Recommended travel vaccinations

In many countries it is recommended that travellers get vaccinated against hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus and polio. In Poland, the above mentioned vaccines are required, but hepatitis B was entered to the list of required vaccination only in the ‘90s, which means that not all of us have been vaccinated. Moreover, we should repeat the vaccination against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis every 10 years. Therefore, before travelling abroad we should not forget about these vaccinations. 

When travelling to exotic countries it is definitely worth getting additional vaccinations against:  

• Typhoid fever – the vaccination is recommended before travelling to, among others, Saudi Arabia, Bahamas, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Croatia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Mexico, the Republic of South Africa, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Turkey or Vietnam; 
• Hepatitis A – a vaccine recommended almost in every country of the world;  
• Rabies – the disease is common almost all over the world, therefore it is recommended to get vaccinated wherever you go, in particular however, when you are planning to travel to wild regions of Brazil, China, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Indonesia;
• Cholera– the vaccination is recommended before travelling to the developing countries in Asia, Africa, Central and South America, if outbreaks of cholera have been recorded or if there have lately been a disaster or a cataclysm.
• Japanese encephalitis  – the vaccination is recommended when travelling to Asian countries (Philippines, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor, Vietnam, the islands of the west Pacific) as well as Australia and Oceania, especially to Papua New-Guinea.

When to start vaccinations before going on holiday?

It is best to contact a specialist clinic for travellers from 6 to 8 weeks before your departure. The doctor will advise you on required and recommended vaccinations in the region you are planning to visit as well as about what medicines you should take with you just in case.

Going to the appointment, do not forget to take with you a list of medicines you take regularly, information about any allergies to medicines and documents confirming previous vaccinations.

Vaccinations before travels and tropical hygiene rules

Even with prophylactic vaccinations travellers need to follow the recommendations of so-called tropical hygiene rules:

• brush your teeth in boiled or mineral water only;
• wash or even disinfect your hands before eating anything;
• do not use fabric towels to dry your hands;
• drink boiled or bottled mineral water only;
• do not add ice cubes to your drinks;
• do not eat raw foods kept in ice;
• avoid eating raw fruit and vegetable salads, raw/grilled seafood, milk, meat, cheese, mayonnaise, ice cream, cream, butter and raw or undercooked eggs;
• wash and peel off tropical fruit and vegetables;
• do not eat local culinary delights prepared in poor sanitary and hygiene conditions or coming from an uncertain source;
• wear appropriate protective clothes after sunset (long trousers, long sleeves, covered shoes);
• use repellents, apply them on your skin a number of times during the day and night (during outdoor activities);
• use mosquito nets and meshes in windows;
• avoid swimming in open freshwater reservoirs;
• avoid walking barefoot or wearing sandals outside the hotel area;
• wear covered trekking shoes when walking in national parks, nature reserves or tropical forests;
• avoid random sexual contacts and use protection against sexually transmitted diseases;
• do not have tattoos, acupuncture or piercing done;
• avoid going to marketplaces where there are live animals;
• avoid contact with randomly met animals.

Detailed recommendations on vaccinations for individual countries of the world are available on the website of the Epidemiology and Tropical Medicine Department at Military Institute of Medicine.