Travel Advice and Vaccinations
If you are travelling outside the UK in connection with work or study, you need to take precautions to prevent, or deal with health problems. The College OH Service can help you plan for your trip and will provide all necessary vaccinations free of charge.
Everyone should read the information sections on travel health and personal safety and take information on the College Travel Insurance policy. If you need to take medicines for any reason, then read the information on pre-existing health problems.
If you are travelling outside Europe, N. America or Australasia, you may require vaccinations or protection against malaria.
The 'Essential Information for Travellers' leaflet provides general information to help you plan your journey in a safe manner.
Travel Health
Travelling abroad can expose you to a variety of health risks that are uncommon in the UK - from the trivial to the deadly serious. For advice on how to avoid the most common problems see our Travel Health pages
If you take treatment for a health problem, then you need to take a supply of your medicine with you, even if you only use it intermittently e.g. asthma puffers or skin creams for eczema.
If your problem or the treatment for it is unusual, or can cause sudden incapacity, you should carry information about this. If you have only recently recovered from a major illness, you should get checked before travelling. For more information see our pages on Pre-Existing Health Problems
You should also consider taking a first aid kit. For recommendations see our Travel First Aid Kit pages
Personal Safety
You should check the Foreign Office web pages for up-to-date information & recommendations on any security risks for the countries that you are travelling to.
Always leave information with your department about your destination, travel arrangements, your return date and how you can be contacted if an emergency arises when you are away. You can find a College form to record this via the Off Site Working web pages (Safety Department).
Travel Insurance
The College travel insurance policy provides cover for medical expenses, loss of baggage etc. for any member of staff or student travelling abroad on College business or authorised study.
The College travel insurance policy includes cover for up to 7 consecutive days' personal holiday time when such travel is incidental to College business. It has been agreed that up to 28 days of additional holiday time may be taken by Imperial College students in conjunction with College-approved placements abroad, provided the placement itself has a scheduled duration of not less than 28 days.
You should obtain and always carry with you a copy of the cover note and Policy number. See the College Insurance web page for further details.
Staff and registered students of College will be entitled to government-subsidised health care in EU countries, but need to carry proof of entitlement to help reclaim costs as well as information on the College Insurance Policy. Apply for an EHIC card before travelling.
If you need medical treatment when abroad see Emergency Medical Assistance pages for more information.
Vaccinations
If you are travelling to counties other than northern & central Europe, north America or Australia vaccinations are usually recommended. To find out the recommendations for the countries you are visiting, check www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk
Your specific need for vaccinations will depend on:
- Where you stay
- How long you will be away for
- What ac tivities you will be doing
f you are in good health, travelling only for a fe w days to a major c ity for a conference or meeting, staying and eating in good class accommodation, then your risks of most infections will be very small. If your stay i s longer, or you may be li ving, eating o r working in places with poor hygiene or sanitation, or you are not sure, then you are stron g ly recommended to have the vac cinations listed as ‘usually advised’ on the Fit for Travel website.
Where a vaccine is recommended as ‘sometimes advised’, you should seek advice from one of the College OH advisers on whether it is necessary for you.
The length of protection afforded by vaccination varies from vaccine to vaccine. For further details and information see our Vaccine information pages
Special situations: If you working with patients or collecting biological specimens, or travelling to areas with recent natura l disaster or population disturbance, there may be additional recommendations not listed on the Fit for Travel website. Seek detailed advice from the College OH Service.
Getting Vaccinated
The College OH service can provide all vaccinations required for work or for overseas travel in connection with work or study. Most are provided without cost. Where a charge is made, this can be charged to a College account. Staff and students requiring vaccinations for holiday or leisure travel can get them from the Health Centre, although charges usually apply.
Immunity takes some time to develop, and if you require several vaccines, they may need to be given some weeks apart, so you should ideally arrange to start vaccinations 2 months before you intend to travel.
For information on arranging appointments see our Travel Clinic Appointments page
Malaria
If you are travelling to central or south America, SE Asia or the Eastern Mediterranean you may need to protect yourself against malaria. The College OH Service can prescribe recommended tablets. See our Malaria pages for detailed advice and information.
Health Clearance
Health Clearance by the College OH Service is required for travel:
• To any tropical country
or
• Any trip abroad lasting more than 3 months
or any fieldwork involving:
• Work in a remote area more than 24 hours travel distance from a medical facility
or
• Activities posing high risk in the event of sudden illness or incapacity
e.g. technical climbing, abseiling, diving, caving
For more details see our Health Clearance pages.
Medical Student Electives
If you are a medical student planning your elective, there are some specific pages of information on health risks and OH support for you. See our Planning Your Elective pages for further information
