Vaccine guides
Travel vaccines explained
Every trip carries a different level of risk, so the right vaccines for you depend on where you're going, for how long, and what you'll be doing. Here's a plain-English guide to the vaccines most commonly discussed at a UK travel health appointment.
Hepatitis A
Protects against a liver infection usually picked up from contaminated food or water, one of the most commonly recommended jabs for travellers heading outside Western Europe and North America.
Typhoid
Guards against a bacterial infection spread through contaminated food and water, frequently advised for travel to parts of Asia, Africa and Central America.
Rabies
A pre-exposure vaccine recommended for travellers to regions where rabies circulates in dogs, bats or other mammals, particularly for longer trips, cycling, caving or rural travel.
Meningitis ACWY
Protects against four strains of bacterial meningitis and is a mandatory entry requirement for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims, as well as being recommended for travel to parts of the 'meningitis belt' of sub-Saharan Africa.
Meningitis B
A vaccine against a strain of bacterial meningitis not covered by the ACWY jab, sometimes considered by students, gap-year travellers and those in close-contact living situations abroad.
Diphtheria, Tetanus & Polio (DTP)
A combined booster recommended for travellers whose childhood vaccination course has lapsed, especially before trips to regions where these diseases are still present.
HPV Vaccination
Not a traditional 'travel jab', but sometimes completed or caught up on through a private clinic by those who missed the NHS school programme and want protection before new relationships or long-term travel.
Japanese Encephalitis
Recommended for longer stays or rural travel in parts of Asia where the virus is spread by mosquitoes, particularly near rice fields, pig farming or wetlands.
Tick-Borne Encephalitis
Considered for travellers doing outdoor activities such as hiking or camping in forested parts of Central and Eastern Europe and parts of Scandinavia during spring and summer.
Cholera
An oral vaccine sometimes recommended for travel to areas with active outbreaks or very limited access to clean water and sanitation, including some humanitarian and aid work settings.
Hepatitis B
Protects against a blood-borne and sexually transmitted liver infection, often recommended for longer trips, healthcare work abroad, or travel where medical or dental treatment might be needed.
Shingles
Not destination-specific, but sometimes raised during a travel health appointment by older adults wanting to reduce the risk of a painful shingles flare-up disrupting a trip.