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TRAVEL VACCINES: Is the Price of Holidaying Too High?
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urrently, a number of vaccines are available for free on the NHS, namely: polio, typhoid, hepatitis A and cholera. The NHS writes that these four vaccines in particular are free because ‘they protect against diseases thought to represent the greatest risk to public health if they were brought into the country’. However, other sources additionally cite yellow fever and malaria as the most common vaccines travellers require, neither of which are available on the NHS following cuts “On paper, the made in the prices of travel last couple vaccines are a lot, of years to especially when ‘low priority’ injections. added onto the Other vacprice of flights, cinations accommodation travellers and other travel are now required to expenses” pay for are hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, meningitis, rabies, tick-borne encephalitis and TB. Obviously, which vaccines you will need are dependent on where you go but getting several at once may be necessary and more than one dose of each vaccine may be required, which in itself is a lengthy
Last year, UK residents made 71.1 million visits overseas, with the most common reason for travel given as ‘holidaying’. However, whether for a holiday or work, travelling overseas can often require a number of vaccinations before visiting. With a 60% to 70% chance of illness when traveling in less developed countries for up to 90 days, getting a vaccination – though often an essential part of travelling abroad – is not always free. Does this extra cost make the price of travel just too high? I want to do abroad”. “You don’t want Other students also to spend loads of agreed that they are a time and money necessary expense. One planning an amaz- recent graduate now ing holiday, only to teaching in China excatch a disease that plained that although she required a full medical means you have to check in order to gain her spend your beach work Visa on top of her injections – an appointdays in a foreign ment which cost £400 hospital”
and expensive process on top of the price of a holiday. Rabies, for example – which poses a great risk to travellers going to Egypt, Turkey, Tunisia, Bali, Mexico and South Africa to name a few – requires 3 jabs which, at Boots, would total £180. Tablets to prevent against Malaria, which is prevalent in Asia, South America and parts of Oceania, will also set you back around £69 to purchase enough tablets for a twoweek trip. The NHS does emphasise that ‘it’s worth considering [these prices] when budgeting for your trip’, advice one student traveller agreed with, stating “since you’re paying loads for a holiday already, vaccinations should be just like any other travel expense, especially on a once in a lifetime trip like a safari for example. Why would you let anything get in the way?” On paper, the prices of travel vaccines are a lot, especially when added onto the price of flights, accommodation and other travel expenses. One student traveller felt her travel vaccines were “unnecessarily expensive for drugs that lots of people need access to”. However, as a requirement for her veterinary work abroad she explained that regardless of their price “I’ll always pay for them if they allow me to do the work
– “the price won’t put me off travelling! Not just to be able to travel, but to be able to stay healthy while I’m there - it’s always better to be safe than sorry.” One student traveller recently returned from Malaysia also told Impact that her vaccinations “were extremely expensive, but for me they’re worth it due to the peace of mind they give you and your family. I got the Japanese Encephalitis vaccination not knowing whether or not I would be spending time in rural areas and paddy fields, so when I ended up in places like that, I knew I didn't have to worry about getting the disease. It meant that my parents also had one less thing to worry about with me travelling to the other side of the world. You don’t want to spend loads of time and money planning an amazing holiday, only to catch a disease that means you have to spend your beach days in a foreign hospital being treated for something that was easily preventable.” So, does the price of travel vaccinations put you off journeying to certain places? Or would you spare no expense (if you can afford to) to visit where you want, whatever the cost of your health? Let us know!
Francesca Hadland