Vaccinations

If you don't like needles, look away now...

Make sure you get your jabs done in time

It's often confusing to work out what tablets and vaccinations you need if you want to avoid those holiday-wrecking bugs. The requirements for individual countries change regularly, so this is meant as a general guide to what you're most likely to need. You'll have to get tailored medical advice about what's right for you.

Plan ahead

It can take longer than you think to arrange a course of injections, so it's best to contact your doctor quickly if you're going anywhere far-flung. Allow up to eight weeks before you travel to get things sorted out (up to six months for Hepatitis B protection, but this is rarely needed). Some vaccinations are free, but others are not covered by the NHS and need to be paid for.

Having stuff done at the last minute before you fly out can make you feel tired and sometimes ill. Anti-malaria tablets usually need to be started a week before you travel.

General stuff

Make sure that you're up to date with your vaccinations against tetanus before you go. Tetanus spores can get into the body through injuries and animal bites, and even small scratches from trees or shrubs. Most of us in the UK have been immunised against tuberculosis (TB) already, but go for a Heaf test if you're going away to an affected area for a long period and you haven't had the injection.

You will probably have been given routine immunisation against diptheria and polio already. If not, have a polio jab if you're travelling outside the following: North or Western Europe, North America, Australia, or New Zealand. You may need a diptheria booster if you're travelling to an area affected by a recent outbreak.

Specific injections, tablets and drops

• Typhoid: Recommended for anyone going to areas where standards of food and water hygiene are lower than in the UK. Avoid potentially contaminated food and water.

• Hepatitis A: Provides protection for up to 10 years, useful if travelling to areas with poor food and water hygiene.

• Diptheria: You may need a booster if you're planning a long stay in a developing country. Recently there have been outbreaks in the former USSR.

• Cholera: Bacterial infection that causes catastrophic diarrhoea and dehydration. Certificate needed for entry to some countries. Being careful about food and drink hygiene is more important than getting vaccinated in most cases.

• Malaria: Parasitic infection passed on by mosquitoes in tropical and sub-tropical countries. Discuss what tablets you'll need with a doctor or pharmacist. Avoid being bitten: wear long shirts and trousers after dusk, use insect repellents, sleep under nets.

• Yellow fever: Found in parts of Africa and South America. You may need to produce a vaccination certificate if youre trying to get into some countries.

• Meningiococcal meningitis: Protection recommended for visits to endemic areas, such as Sub-Saharan Africa in the dry season. Certificates necessary for entry into certain countries.

• Tick-borne encephalitis: The ticks in question live in the long grass at the edge of forests in parts of mainland Europe. Vaccination is only needed if you will be spending a long period of time there, for example trekking and camping, or doing conservation work.

• Japanese encephalitis: Mosquito-borne disease, seen in parts of India and South-East Asia. In addition to vaccination, avoid insect bites, as with malaria.

• Hepatitis B: May be useful if you're going to be staying in certain countries for a long period, and you're involved in healthcare. Avoid sharing needles and unprotected sex.

• Rabies: If you're planning on being abroad for a while, and risk coming into contact with dogs, cats, or wild animals, think about being vaccinated. If you are bitten or licked by a suspected rabid animal, you must still seek immediate medical advice.