Travel Health·6 min read
Travel vaccines: what you need before flying long-haul
From yellow fever certificates to antimalarials, a pharmacist's primer on getting properly prepared.
SBy Sara Khan
The single biggest mistake we see at our travel clinic is timing. People walk in two days before flying and ask what they need. We can almost always help, but a vaccine course you start the week before travel offers nothing like the protection you would get six weeks out.
Start with destination, not vaccine names
Every consultation begins with where you are going, what you will be doing there, and how long you will stay. A two-week city break in Bangkok needs a different plan from a month volunteering rurally in Tanzania.
Common requirements by region
- South and Southeast Asia: Hepatitis A, Typhoid, sometimes Japanese Encephalitis
- Sub-Saharan Africa: Yellow Fever (with certificate), Hepatitis A, Typhoid, antimalarials
- South America: Yellow Fever for many countries, Hepatitis A, sometimes Rabies
- Long-stay travel anywhere: booster Tetanus, Hepatitis B, Rabies pre-exposure
Yellow fever certificates
We are a registered yellow fever centre, which means we can issue the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP) on the same day. Many countries, including Kenya, Tanzania and Brazil, require this for entry if you are arriving from a country with yellow fever risk.
Book at least six weeks before travel. If you have left it later, come in anyway. There is usually still something we can do.