Pins & Needles

When you’re getting ready for your holiday the last thing you want to be thinking about is what nasty diseases you could bring home with you but to me this is a really important factor when it comes to travel.

I’m probably extra cautious as my father caught Malaria when he served in the forces and I  always remember how sick he was.

So to take precautions this week I booked in to the travel clinic at my local GP surgery for advice on travelling to South Africa where I will be spending Christmas this year.

I had to have a combined Hepatitus A and Cholera vaccine which has left me with a very sore arm and I’ve flu like symptoms but better that than the alternative I say!

It’s a great free service, you let them know where you are going before hand so by the time you arrive they have already checked your records and have everything prepared for you. The advice they gave me was brilliant and covered points I hadn’t even thought of.

My injections were pretty straight forward and there was no charge as the nurse said “The government are happy to pay to keep these diseases out of the country” but not all vaccines are this simple and many have to be booked  and paid for months in advance.

Earlier this year there was a shortage of Yellow Fever vaccines in the UK which caused huge problem as the vaccine is mandatory for travel to certain parts of the world.

The NHS website FIT FOR TRAVEL  gives great advice but I would always recommend a visit to your local travel clinic for the best advice.