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In order to fully enjoy your vacation or not to risk it during a business trip, let’s not forget about vaccinations before the trip. Protecting your own health and avoiding the risk of infecting other people are fundamental issues that should be addressed when planning a trip abroad. When should you get vaccinated before departure and what vaccinations should you remember?
Why travel vaccinations?
Trips abroad are often associated with the need to undergo vaccinations for specific diseases. Such action is a very important preventive measure, which is not only to protect the traveler from dangerous diseases. In this way, the risk of transmitting infectious diseases between different countries is also minimized.
In the case of some countries, including European countries, people born in Poland and subjected to childhood vaccinations in accordance with the preventive vaccination program should consider booster vaccinations for tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough and polio. In the case of an immunocompromised individual, it is also routinely recommended to vaccinate against influenza, hepatitis B, meningococcus, as well as measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) regardless of the purpose of travel. If you are unsure whether immunization is necessary, it may be helpful to check with your doctor. For diseases such as tetanus, young vaccinated people should also receive a booster every 10 years as antibody levels decline.
The issue of travel immunization should not be taken lightly, even if you are traveling to a neighboring country. Already a few weeks before departure (especially to warm countries), it is recommended to visit travel medicine doctor. It will take into account the state of our health, vaccinations, destination and epidemiological situation of a given region, and then will inform you what prophylaxis is recommended in a given case. Sometimes vaccinations may only be recommended before going to a country, but in some cases they are compulsory.
Travelers should always make sure that a worrying epidemiological situation has not developed in the country to which they are going. An example of this is the measles wave that has been observed since mid-2018. After years of stable situation, a rapid increase in measles cases is observed in Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Serbia, France, Italy and Greece. It is therefore advisable to check the measles vaccination status before traveling outside Poland.
- Are you concerned about measles? Read: MMR vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella vaccination
The greatest risk of infection with pathogens uncharacteristic for the territory of Poland appears when traveling to countries with tropical diseases. Particular attention is paid here to endemic areas, i.e. areas where the occurrence of a given contagious disease is typical. We cannot forget about the possibility of an epidemic in the place we are going to. Some countries have restrictions in the form of compulsory vaccinations for travelers.
What diseases should travelers vaccinate?
The diseases that people planning to travel abroad should be vaccinated against include, first of all:
- yellow fever;
- typhoid;
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B;
- rabies;
- meningococcal infection;
- cholera;
- tick-borne encephalitis;
- diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough;
- polio;
- stage.
Compulsory vaccinations before travel
Travel to some countries requires the traveler to undergo mandatory vaccinations. If you are told to do so, you must have a vaccination confirmation. The lack of an appropriate document will make it impossible to cross the border of a given country. It may also result in compulsory vaccination at the border or quarantine carried out at the expense of the traveler.
Mandatory vaccinations for travelers valid as of September 2019 include the following countries:
- Angola – yellow fever (yellow fever) vaccination;
- Saudi Arabia – vaccination against meningococcal infections;
- Chad – yellow fever vaccination;
- Gabon – yellow fever vaccination;
- Gambia – vaccination against meningococcal infections;
- Ghana – yellow fever vaccination;
- French Guiana – yellow fever vaccination;
- Guinea-Bissau – yellow fever vaccination;
- Cameroon – yellow fever vaccination;
- Congo – yellow fever vaccination;
- Democratic Republic of the Congo – yellow fever vaccination;
- Libya – vaccination against meningococcal infections;
- Mali – yellow fever vaccination;
- Niger – yellow fever vaccination;
- Nigeria – yellow fever vaccination;
- Central African Republic – yellow fever vaccination;
- Sierra Leone – yellow fever vaccination;
- South Sudan – yellow fever vaccination;
- Togo – yellow fever vaccination;
- Uganda – yellow fever vaccination;
- Ivory Coast – Yellow Fever Vaccination.
Occasionally, you may also need to be vaccinated when entering countries not mentioned above. This includes people wishing to cross the border by traveling directly from areas endemic to yellow fever. This applies to many countries in Africa, Asia and South America, as well as selected countries from other continents.
Vaccinations before traveling to different countries
If you are planning a trip abroad and want to make the necessary vaccinations, be sure to read the current travel immunization list. It is updated, so you should always make sure that it follows the guidelines of WHO, CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention based in the United States) and PSO (Immunization Program in Poland) for the year. Data for some diseases may be updated every few months or changed on a regular basis based on current epidemics.
Travel vaccinations – contraindications
Before vaccination for a specific infectious disease, especially endemic, a medical history is necessary. Not every person can be qualified for vaccination. Each preparation may also have slightly different limitations. The main contraindications for vaccinations diseases with high fever, allergies to any of the vaccine components or exacerbations of chronic diseases remain invariably. The example of yellow fever may also include other possible contraindications to vaccination, including HIV infection, previous transplants, immunodeficiencies, malignancies or certain medications (e.g. immunosuppressants).
The necessity to exercise caution especially applies to pregnant and lactating women, children up to 6 months of age (sometimes also older ones) or people over 60 years of age.
How to protect yourself from infectious diseases?
When traveling abroad, especially to countries endangered by tropical diseases, you should follow the rules of hygiene and be careful when choosing beverages and food products. Do not use tap water or unreliable sources, avoid ice cubes in drinks, and only use boiled or bottled water. The risk also appears in the case of dairy products and those bought from street stalls. It is recommended to eat hot dishes immediately after their preparation or serving, and to thoroughly wash raw products.
Infectious diseases are not only transmitted through food. In countries at risk of malaria, you need to watch out for mosquitoes (preventive vaccinations against this disease are not used). These insects also transmit yellow fever. Casual sexual contacts, which are a source of HIV, HPV or hepatitis A, B or C infections, may also turn out to be dangerous.
Check how to protect yourself against viruses transmitted, among others sexually:
- Vaccination against hepatitis B – when should you get vaccinated?
- HPV vaccine – why is it worth getting vaccinated?
Lack of prudence and failure to use security during a stay abroad increases the risk of catching an STD by up to three times compared to people who do not practice sex with random partners on such trips. It also contributes to gonorrhea, syphilis, trichomoniasis, genital herpes, inguinal hepatitis, groin granuloma, chlamydiosis and soft ulcer.
Travel medicine
We can protect ourselves against some infectious diseases by vaccination, while others require basic knowledge of preventing infection. All doubts related to a trip abroad or for other purposes can be resolved with a doctor specializing in tropical diseases or travel medicine. Do not wait until the last minute to seek advice because possible vaccinations should be performed well in advance. We should go to a medical consultation at least 4-8 weeks before the planned trip.
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