Travel vaccinations in Woolwich, South London. Why having travel vaccinations is important?
Travel vaccinations is not normally the first thing on our mind when we plan for an exciting journey abroad, especially to new and exotic places. However, travel vaccines should be one of the first things on our to-do list as some vaccines need up to 8 weeks for them to be administered and to become effective. Royal Arsenal Pharmacy & Travel Clinic in Woolwich offers a comprehensive travel clinic service with walk in and same day appointments, helping travellers like you to stay safe and protected from serious diseases found in other parts of the world.
What this travel health article is about?
In this article, we will look at what travel vaccines are and how they function, the importance and availability of travel vaccines near you. We will also shed some light on the questions of what travel vaccinations would you need for your particular trip and when should you start thinking about them. There will also be information about some common diseases found abroad and what vaccinations are required for some popular destinations. Although we try to provide as much information as possible about travel health here, the subject is so broad that we can’t simply do justice to it here.
The best course of action would be to get in touch with your local travel health experts at Royal Arsenal Pharmacy in Woolwich and they will be happy to assist you further.
What are Travel Vaccines and how do they work?
A vaccine is a certain type of medicine that trains the body’s immune system so that it can fight a disease it has not come into contact with before. Vaccination is a preventative measure, rather than treatment for a disease once you have caught it. The vaccines that are designed to provide immunity against diseases found in other countries around the world are called travel vaccines.
This Short animation video by oxford vaccine group illustrates how vaccines work.
How vaccines work video illustration
Vaccination is simply the administration of vaccines.
Why Should I have travel vaccines?
Firstly, when you travel abroad, you may be exposed to infectious diseases like yellow fever, hepatitis Bthat the routine NHS immunisation schedule doesn’t provide protection against. Hence you will need to get appropriate travel vaccinations to stay protected during your entire trip.
Travel Health Insurance requirement: Secondly, your travel insurance policy requires you to have the required inoculations before traveling.
Travel clinics near me!
The local options could be your local pharmacy or your local GP practice. Your local Royal Arsenal pharmacy and travel clinic will see you straight away on walk-in basis or provide you with same day appointment whereas GP practice might not be offering all the travel vaccines and may need you to make an appointment with a nurse many days or even weeks in advance.
When should I see my local health professional about travel vaccines?
It is advisable to start thinking about your travel vaccines as soon as practically possible. Vaccines take time to develop immunity in your body (become effective) and some vaccines need to be administered in a number of doses over several weeks period. Vaccines like rabies requires a month to complete the course.
How long does vaccines cover last?
Some vaccines last for a few years whereas others last for life. You need to speak with your travel health professional about whether you are still covered or would need a booster. You can read more about how long different vaccines last on Tropical Medical Bureau website .
Malaria
Malaria is a life threatening disease spread by mosquitos in some parts of the world.
Causes of Malaria
The cause of Malaria is Plasmodium parasite. It is neither a virus nor a bacterium but a single celled parasite that multiples itself inside human red blood cells. The parasite can be spread to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes.
Antimalarials
Antimalarials are tablets taken before you travel to reduce the risk of malaria infection. It is a preventative measure.
There is an ABCD approach to malaria prevention as shown in this short video by Valneva.
short video showing ABCD approach to malaria prevention
Malaria Cure
As there are different types of malaria, the treatment duration and drug type will depend on what type of malaria is being cured and when the person was infected.
Malaria Life cycle
The parasite that causes malaria develops in the human red blood cells and also in the intestine of female Anopheles mosquitoes. You can study the full malaria lifecycle on malariavaccine.org website.
Malaria Facts
Malaria is a deadly disease transmitted by mosquito bite. Though it is both preventable and curable.
There were an estimated 2019 million cases of malaria found in around 90 countries in the year 2017.
You can find more facts about malaria on World Health Organisation website.
