United Kingdom (Europe & Russia)

Advice for All Destinations Vaccinations Malaria Alerts News

Vaccinations

• Confirm primary courses and boosters are up to date as recommended for life in Britain - including for example, seasonal flu vaccine (if indicated), MMR, vaccines required for occupational risk of exposure, lifestyle risks and underlying medical conditions.
• Courses or boosters usually advised: none.
• Other vaccines to consider: Tetanus.
• Selectively advised vaccines - only for those individuals at highest risk: Hepatitis A; Hepatitis B.

• No yellow fever vaccination certificate required for this country.

Notes on the diseases mentioned above

• Hepatitis A:  spread through consuming contaminated food and water or person to person through the faecal-oral route.

  Risk is higher where personal hygiene and sanitation is poor.

  Risk is highest for those with underlying medical conditions where there is increased risk of severe disease e.g. chronic liver/kidney disease; haemophiliacs; men who have sex with men; people who inject drugs.

• Hepatitis B:  spread through infected blood and blood products, contaminated needles and medical instruments and sexual intercourse.

  Risk is higher for long stays, frequent travel and for children (exposed through cuts and scratches), those who may require medical treatment during travel.

  Risk is highest for those with underlying medical conditions where there is increased risk of severe disease e.g. chronic liver/kidney disease; haemophiliacs; men who have sex with men; people who change partners frequently; people who inject drugs.

• Tetanus:  spread through contamination of cuts, burns and wounds with tetanus spores. Spores are found in soil worldwide. A total of 5 doses of tetanus vaccine are recommended for life in the UK. Boosters are usually recommended in a country or situation where the correct treatment of an injury may not be readily available.

Malaria

Malaria is a serious illness transmitted by the bite of mosquitoes which mostly bite (feed) at night, between dusk and dawn.

• All travellers to a malaria risk area should see a travel health professional for a travel health risk assessment before travelling.
• You cannot be vaccinated against malaria, but you can protect yourself against this disease using the A, B, C, D approach to malaria prevention.

Some groups of people are at an increased risk of developing severe malaria if they catch the infection. These include pregnant women, babies and children, older people, those with conditions that affect the immune system, people without a spleen, and people with certain medical conditions.

Early diagnosis and access to prompt treatment for malaria saves lives. If you have a fever and think you might have malaria it is very important to seek medical attention urgently. Remember malaria can develop even up to one year after exposure.

• If travelling to a remote area far from medical facilities, carrying standby emergency treatment for malaria may be considered.

The malaria map and accompanying advice below has been reproduced with permission of and acknowledgement to NaTHNaC

Risk areas

There is a risk of malaria in all areas of Venezuela particularly in the Amazonas, Bolívar, Delta Amacuro and Sucre states: atovaquone/proguanil OR doxycycline OR mefloquine recommended.

There is no risk in the city of Caracas or on Margarita Island: bite avoidance recommended.

Open malaria map in a new window

Alerts

COVID-19

There is a risk of exposure to coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United Kingdom.

Information on measures implemented in the 4 UK nations in response to coronavirus (COVID-19) are available from the following websites:

• Scotland: GOV.scot
• England: GOV.UK 
• Wales: GOV.Wales
• Northern Ireland: NIdirect.gov.uk

For further information, see Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and COVID-19: Health Considerations for Travel pages.

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