People who are travelling outside the UK may need to be vaccinated against some of the serious diseases that are found in other parts of the world.
Vaccination can protect you against becoming infected with a range of serious diseases, such as cholera, yellow fever and tick-borne encephalitis.
In the UK, the childhood vaccination programme protects against a number of diseases, such as tetanus, but it does not cover most of the infectious diseases that are found overseas.
See the Vaccination checklist for information about the vaccines that are part of the childhood vaccination programme in the UK.
Travel vaccinations
You can find out which vaccinations are recommended for the areas you will be visiting on these two websites:
Some countries require anyone wishing to enter to have an International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP). For example, Saudi Arabia requires proof of vaccination against certain types of meningitis for visitors arriving for the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages.
Many tropical countries in Africa and South America will not accept travellers from an area where there is yellow fever, unless they can prove that they have been vaccinated against it.
Information about the vaccines can be found in Vaccines A-M and Vaccines P-Z. The links below provide more information about the diseases they prevent.
- Cholera vaccination – cholera is a disease that causes diarrhoea and vomiting and is usually caught through infected water.
- Diphtheria vaccination – diphtheria is a bacterial infection that mainly affects the nose and throat.
- Hepatitis A vaccination – hepatitis A is an infection that causes inflammation of the liver.
- Hepatitis B vaccination – hepatitis B is similar to hepatitis A but it is caused by a different virus.
- Japanese encephalitis vaccination –Japanese encephalitis is a disease that is spread by mosquitoes. It is usually mild but can develop into encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).
- Meningococcal meningitis vaccination – meningococcal meningitis is an infection of the meninges (the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord).
- Poliomyelitis (polio) vaccination – polio is a highly infectious virus that can cause flu-like symptoms and is potentially fatal.
- Rabies vaccination – rabies is an infection of the central nervous system that is passed to humans through the bite of an infected animal.
- Tetanus vaccination – tetanus is a severe but short-lived infection that is caused by bacteria.
- Tick-borne encephalitis vaccination – tick-borne encephalitis is similar to Japanese encephalitis but it is caught through the bite of an infected tick.
- Tuberculosis vaccination – tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that affects the lungs.
- Typhoid fever vaccination – typhoid fever is a potentially fatal bacterial infection that is caught through contaminated food or water.
- Yellow fever vaccination – yellow fever is a serious viral disease that is spread by mosquitoes.
Getting vaccinated
Not all vaccinations are available through the NHS and you may need to pay for some. See Travel vaccinations - where to get them for more information and advice.
