Travel vaccines

[nfn]

When we travel from Britain to some countries we have to have all kinds of vaccs and imms right, so I was wondering if there are any kind of jabs people coming to Britain must have. I can't think of anything obvious and wondered if anyone knows as it's been driving me mad since the question popped into my head this afternoon.

Thanks

[mfewell]

nfn, in Britain we have science, medicine, drains, electricity, no malarial mosquitoes, a health service to be proud of, and an aqueduct. So immunisation is not required. It's only when we have to go 'over there'

[nfn]

i suspected as much but was wondering about MMR and DTP - you know the childhood vaccines. If we're still vaccinating our kids I thought maybe johhny foreigner might need the same ones

[HAnn521]

Well Well now Mr.mfewell...aren't we just keen to take a jab at the other guy today?

I was going to answer nfn by sharing my personal experience with traveling from home in the US to England years back...

I do not recall ever having to worry about any immunizations, but US citizens are required to have certain shots at specific age periods in our lifetime anyway.

Also having traveled to Germany as well...I don't remember having any immunizations then either.

[january_bug]

Apparently pets need to be vaccinated. 

There's nothing we've got that's epidemic, so it should be ok.  Obviously, with parents increasingly resisting MMR, and sometimes not getting the single jabs, I know there's an increase in mumps.  So perhaps people might make sure their kids are up-to-date on mumps jabs. 

Otherwise, we're a pretty healthy bunch really!  Your sort of question should remind us all to be grateful that our health service and quality of life enables this!  People might say the NHS sucks, but I found the other day a list of jabs as long as my arm (HAHA) that I'd had as a child.. and all for free, and touch wood *knocks on own head, with old family name joke in mind* I've never had any of the diseases.  So we're generally a lucky lot I say!

[january_bug]

PS - When I started typing, there was actually only one answer offered already! Sorry if I crossed/duplicated!

[Grunty]

I don't think mfewell was having a go at America, but there are many countries where his/her answer is particularly relevant.  Often this is due to a lack of development caused by the present or past colonial power.  I am visiting one of those countries in three weeks and have had the injections.  I wouldn't expect the inhabitants of that country to need them if they came to England.

mfewell - I am puzzled by 'and an aqueduct' - could you expand on that?

[nfn]

please don't all jump on mfe, i took his "go over there" comment as "go to another country", whichever country you're going to.

Anyway, thank you ALL for your replies. I was fetching the washing off the line this afternoon and for reasons best known to itself my brain came up with this one, no idea why cos I'm not going abroad this year. Oh well at least i've confirmed i've still got a brain - which I was begining to doubt! x

[mfewell]

I am sorry grunty, the aqueduct was pulled from Monty Python's 'Life of Brian' - a film which if you haven't seen it I heartily recommend. I was trying to make a little levity of what seems to me to be obvious. And I am a huge admirer of the USA.

[jno]

Americans travelling to Britain at the moment are being reminded to check they've been vaccinated against mumps; but it's not compulsory.