In 2019, before our lives and travel abilities were halted by the pandemic, 93.1million overseas visits were made by UK travellers alone. 

It is hoped as mitigation measures against COVID-19 infection begin to have an impact, global travel will again be opened up for all and as a result the demand for travel health services will increase.

There are some very serious diseases found in other parts of the world that people in the UK won’t be protected against. Public Health England (PHE) has published details of malaria cases imported into the United Kingdom (UK) in 2018. In 2018, a total of 1,683 cases of imported malaria were reported.   Therefore, it’s important that customers do their research. 

Travellers should seek advice from a pharmacist or their GP at least 8 weeks before they are due to travel, as some vaccines may need to be administered in advance, so that the body can develop immunity.

Other vaccines may need to be given in scheduled doses over a given length of time.

Some countries require proof of vaccination (for example, for polio or yellow fever vaccination), which must be documented on an International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP) before entry or when you leave a country.

Saudi Arabia requires proof of vaccination against certain types of meningitis for visitors arriving for the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages.

Being the most accessible healthcare professional within the community, pharmacy is ideally positioned to help their customers stay healthy when they travel.