Travel health clinic

The vaccines on the NHS routine immunisation (vaccination) schedule help to protect you from infections which could affect you or your children in the UK. Everyone in the UK should have these vaccinations as standard at different stages of their lives.

When you travel abroad, you often need additional vaccinations to protect yourself from infections which pose a threat in other parts of the world. Which travel vaccines you need depends on where you are going and the time of the year of your trip.

Every year, the NHS estimates that almost one in four British holidaymakers will travel without getting vaccinated properly, meaning that they’re potentially exposed to life-threatening infectious diseases.

Travelling without immunisation will also put others at risk, too, as you could bring an infection back to the UK with you.

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It is difficult to decide from the long list of vaccines, which one you need without checking it with a health care professional.

Your itinerary, your medical history and the activities you have planned all affect which vaccinations you need.

It is important that a trained travel pharmacist or nurse checks what sort of protection (Vaccines/tablets etc) you might need.

During your consultation, pharmacist explains to you about the health risks at your holiday destinations to check which type of protection you require.

If a vaccine is not essential, we will explain the pros and cons, so you can decide whether you would like to have it or not.

You should arrange an appointment at least 6 to 8 weeks before you are planning to leave the UK, as some vaccinations require more than one injection, over the course of several weeks.

Also, a certain amount of time is required after vaccination to develop the resistance against the infections.

It is important that you bring any previous immunisation history with you to help the pharmacist work out what vaccination you need.

Travel jabs are available either from your GP surgery or from a private travel vaccine clinic.

Online Chemist offers private travel vaccinations clinic based in Gorleston, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. We are approved Yellow Fever Vaccine Centre (YFVC) by NaTHNaC.

You need to inform the clinic if you are pregnant or breast feeding or immuno-suppressed because of a medical condition (such as, HIV, some forms of cancers etc) or because of a medication you might be taking.

Please let your healthcare professionals know about previous allergies to vaccines and other allergies, such as egg allergy.

Some travel vaccines are usually free on the NHS. This includes:

• Diphtheria, Polio and Tetanus
• Cholera vaccine
• Typhoid vaccine
• Hepatitis A

It is important to check with your GP about your previous vaccine record before you make an appointment. Some of the GP surgeries provide free travel vaccines but not all of them.

The following travel vaccines are available from Online Chemist travel clinic:

• Cholera
• Chickenpox / Varicella
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Japanese encephalitis
• Meningitis ACWY
• Meningitis B
• Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR)
• Rabies
• Shingles
• Tetanus/Diphtheria/Polio (DTP)
• Tick-borne encephalitis
• Typhoid
• Yellow Fever (approved centre)

Areas we cover:

With years of experience in the pharmacy world and the travel health clinic, our pharmacist has joined us at the Online Chemist walk-in travel vaccines clinic.

Over the last few years, we have grown exponentially and we are now covering multiple areas – Gorleston, Great Yarmouth, Caister, Hopton, Lowestoft, Beccles including Norwich.

To visit some countries proof of vaccination (for example, yellow fever vaccine) is mandatory and an International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP) must be submitted before you enter the country, in between your journeys, or when you leave the UK.

Saudi Arabia requires proof of vaccination against meningitis ACWY for visitors arriving for the Islamic pilgrimages, i.e., Hajj and umrah

Even if an ICVP isn’t a mandatory requirement, it is still advisable to take a record of the vaccinations you have had with you.

Most travel vaccines are suitable for small children but there are some age restrictions to consider.

If you are planning a trip with your baby or toddler, make sure you consult a doctor or travel clinic professional well in advance of your departure.

Pregnancy does not prevent you from receiving vaccines that can protect the health of you and your unborn baby.

A general rule is that most recommended vaccines can be used if the risk of infection is substantial and if there are serious consequences of infection. However, a careful risk versus benefit analysis is needed for every individual, and the decision on whether to vaccinate should be made in conjunction with an appropriately qualified health care professional.

Inactivated Vaccines in Pregnancy

Inactivated vaccines cannot replicate which means they cannot cause disease in either the mother or her unborn baby. Most inactivated vaccines can be used if the risk of disease is considered high.

Live Vaccines in Pregnancy

The risk of the disease versus the benefit of administering any live vaccine during pregnancy requires expert consideration and expert advice should be sought. This is due to a theoretical concern that vaccinating pregnant women with live vaccines, such as: measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox (varicella) and yellow fever, could potentially infect the unborn baby.

Consequently, live vaccines are usually avoided during pregnancy. However, the use of live vaccines in pregnancy may be appropriate if travel is unavoidable and the risk of the disease is high.

In many cases, it’s unlikely a vaccine given while you’re pregnant or breastfeeding will cause problems for the baby. But the GP will be able to give you further advice about this.

Ensure that your travel insurance policy covers both you and your unborn child, and if delivery should occur during travel, that your newborn is insured.

All vaccines can cause side effects, but they are generally mild and soon settle down.

The most common side effects seen are:

1. Pain, swelling and redness at the injection site
2. High temperature
3. Shivering
4. Extreme tiredness
5. Headache
6. Muscle and joint pain
   These symptoms should last no more than 24 hours. 

A far less common, but serious, vaccine side effect is an immediate allergic reaction, also known as an anaphylactic reaction.

At Online Chemist, we aim to provide you with occupational medical health vaccines to keep you protected whilst at work, these vaccines include :

• Hepatitis A

• MMR

• Hepatitis B

• Polio, diphtheria & tetanus

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