We have all done it before. We do think about it, somewhere in our subconscious but how much do we pay attention to it?
Wondering what I am talking about? The topic of holiday vaccinations!!
More and more of us are taking those cruises to far flung places around the globe. Places when you were a child that were some some obscure place on the globe in your class room. The world definitely feels a smaller place these days with airlines offering connecting flights to exotic places from UK airports. Cruise lines are following suit with popular destinations and basing ships in the Far East and beyond.
We all get carried away with the excitement of booking and it is normally a few weeks after we book that the practical side of our brain kicks in and we start to think about the two V’s, Visas and Vaccinations. The visa side is grand – and straight forward. 100% of the time if you do not have the right visa you will not be allowed entry. However, with no mandatory vaccination check getting done on arrival to airports, how do they know who has followed the health regulations and who is winging it!!
Unfortunately, more and more stories are being published in our local papers of people going travelling and catching illnesses whilst away and being seriously ill and, in some occasions, dying. Thank God these diseases like malaria, Typhoid etc do not reside in the UK any more, but when we open ourselves to the fantastic, exotic places of the world we also open ourselves up to their unfortunate side effects.
How many of us actually contact the travel vaccination clinic which is run in every GP surgery around the country?
How many of us read the news papers when tragedy strikes and think, God if only they had got a vaccine! or How sad they never prevented this from happening?
We are the people that then travel to South America, or Asia without checking properly if any vaccinations are needed. We would check if we were going to Africa – Comic Relief and other aid agencies have done fabulous work bringing these countries to the fore front of our mind so that if we had to travel here we would be straight onto Google (other search engines are also available!) to see what we need to get covered for – but what about that trip to Brazil to see the Rio Carnival or Iguazu Falls? Do you know that depending on your personal medical health you may need more vaccines here that if you were going to the Congo?
Did you know YOU need to make sure your Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio vaccines need to be up to date and if you got them over 10 years ago you will need a booster?
This is not a blog on scare mongering or inducing fear but I think we all need to think carefully about where we have decided to travel so that we will be in the fullest health possible to enjoy your trip. It is also worth remembering that if you are travelling to a region in the world where a vaccination is recommended and you don’t get it before you travel that if you contract this disease your Travel Insurance policy may not cover you.
I read an article online this week that had interesting quotes from two insurance agency spokespeople:
A spokesman for travel insurer Direct Line said that although it considered claims on a case by case basis, “it is true that it could invalidate your policy if you contract a tropical disease and have not had the required innoculations before travelling”.
A claims specialist at insurer More Than added: “We would not cover any expenses incurred as a result of a tropical disease if the policyholder has not had the recommended innoculations and/or taken the recommended medication.”
Surely this alone would make you think twice about winging it and thinking everything will be ok if you don’t follow the recommended guidelines.
Free advice is available at NHS website fitfortravel.nhs.uk, where there are details of immunisations needed for specific countries and up-to-date malaria maps. Also look at the National Travel Health Network and Centre website at nathnac.org; and netdoctor.co.uk.
Also utilise your local GP surgeries where you can receive a lot of the vaccinations for free. Don’t risk it – plan it – research it – book it and enjoy it – disease free!!