Hajj - Why It Is Crucial to Get Vaccinated Before You Travel?

Hajj is the Islamic pilgrimage that takes place annually in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, which is the holiest city for Muslims. It is the largest annual gathering worldwide, with Hajj 2019 recording about 2.5 million pilgrims. As such, general travel requirements are supposed to be observed, such as getting vaccinated and obtaining a hajj vaccination certificate.

Before setting out for hajj, pilgrims should consult a medical doctor and get vaccinated before the trip. Such visitation should come at least six weeks before the trip to give enough time for all the required vaccines. Pilgrims should, therefore, include the hajj vaccination cost in their budget as they prepare for the trip.

Throughout the pilgrimage, pilgrims are expected to maintain basic hygiene practices to prevent the spread of contagious diseases. The NHS, in collaboration with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health, has lately updated the travel recommendations and vaccine requirements for the years to come.

 Among the requirements of obtaining a visa to Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage is submitting a meningitis certificate for hajj. Meningitis is one of the many diseases that pilgrims should be vaccinated against before visiting Saudi Arabia. Some countries also recommend that travellers should get vaccinated against yellow fever and poliomyelitis.

Other travel vaccinations Hillingdon clinics recommend include the hepatitis A and B vaccines. Travellers are also required to have evidence of measles immunity. Alternatively, NHS recommends two doses of the MMR vaccine before travel, which should be separated by at least 28 days.

Most importantly, pilgrims should also keep in mind getting the influenza vaccine injection for hajj. Given the millions of pilgrims from over 180 countries, the chances of catching flu can only get higher if vaccination is not administered. Other travel Hajj travel insights include the risk of tuberculosis transmission due to the crowded conditions.

Governments and medical bodies such as the NHS insist on the need for hajj and umrah vaccination since such pilgrimages involve millions of people. Making prior arrangements for vaccinations ensures that all vaccines are administered timely for disease prevention.

Travel health clinic - what to expect?

Planning for travel is a hectic process. Booking flights, filling prescriptions, deciding what to pack, and so much more! But have you taken the time to get your travel vaccinations? Travel vaccinations are an essential component of travel planning process, yet every single day thousands of travellers ignore the advice of qualified professionals from travel clinics in London and don’t get them. But why? Are travel vaccinations in Hillingdon that important?

The right answer to that is yes. And here’s why.

When you travel to a new place without getting travel vaccinations, apart from the ambience and the food, there’s something more ‘new’ in the store waiting for you - the organisms. Every place has its characteristic flora and fauna and when you enter a new environment, the exposure to these new organisms (that your body never developed any immunity to) can attack you and make you sick. And of course, you don’t want to trap yourself in a hotel room throwing up every now and then and ruin the rest of your trip. This necessitates taking travel vaccinations before you begin your trip.

Routine immunisations are instrumental for keeping children, families, and communities healthy in all countries and in preventing the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases through global travel. It can help in improving vaccination rates around the world and increase the chances of eradicating life-threatening contagious diseases.

Who provides travel vaccinations in Hillingdon?

You can visit any travel clinic in Hillingdon like Lawton Pharmacy for travel vaccinations and professional advice. If you stay in or around Hillingdon, you can visit your nearest travel Clinic facility.

What can you expect at a travel clinic in Hillingdon?

A visit to your nearest travel vaccination clinic will determine what vaccinations and boosters you may need before travel. The clinician will look at your medical history to have a better judgement of what you will need specifically. They will consider the following:

- Your Age

- Health

- Previous Vaccinations

- Previous Booster Shots

- Travel Destination

- The time of year you are travelling

All of these elements help determine whether you need certain vaccinations more than others. A few examples of vaccinations you may be required to get before travelling are:

- Japanese Encephalitis

- Rabies

- Typhoid Fever

- Yellow fever

- Cholera

Another disease that you need to worry about is malaria, especially if you are travelling to Central America or any country in Africa. However, there is no vaccination for malaria. The clinician will prescribe prophylactic antimalarial medication if you travel to a country where malaria is a common disease.

In a nutshell, travel vaccination clinics ensure that you enjoy your trip and return to your home safely without any health troubles.

What you need to know about seasonal flu vaccination?

Every year millions of people suffer from seasonal flu. Flu - the short name for influenza is caused by viruses. These influenza viruses can spread easily from one person to another and cause illnesses or infections like the flu. Every flu season is entirely different and a large number of people are infected with influenza. Every year across the globe, millions of people get the flu infection, hundreds of thousands of people get hospitalised, and many among them die from flu-related causes every year. This is why we should take the prevention of flu seriously and get flu jabs on time.

Who should get a flu shot this season?

Everyone who has completed six months and older should receive the influenza vaccine each season. Seasonal vaccination to prevent flu infection is especially critical for people who are at significant risk for severe difficulties from influenza.

If you want to protect yourself against influenza then you must consider taking flu jab annually. Even if you had a flu shot before you can consider having it again especially if you are planning to travel. You can visit any travel vaccination clinic in Heathrow.

Who should not be vaccinated?

Our experts recommend getting the flu shot; either an inactivated flu vaccine or through a recombinant influenza vaccine (RIV). The nasal spray flu vaccine (live attenuated flu vaccine or LAIV) should not be used. Different flu vaccines are recommended for use in diverse groups of people. Factors which can determine a person’s appropriateness for vaccination, or vaccination with a particular vaccine, include a person’s age, health condition (current and past) and any allergies to the influenza vaccine. People who should talk to their physician before getting the flu shot.

When should I get vaccinated?

You should get a flu vaccination now if you haven’t gotten already for this season. It’s best to get vaccinated before the beginning of the flu season or if you are planning to travel. You can get travel vaccinations administered in Hillingdon. It takes around two weeks after flu vaccination for antibodies to form in the body that protects against influenza. Getting vaccinated later can still be profitable, and vaccination can also be offered throughout the flu season, even in the month of January and later period.

Children who want two doses of vaccine to be protected should get the vaccination sooner because the two flu doses must be administered at least four weeks apart.

What you need to know about chlamydia screening and treatment?

What is Chlamydia?

Chlamydia is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STI). It is a bacterial infection caused by Chlamydia trachomatis bacterium, and it occurs mostly in sexually active teenagers. Genital Chlamydia infection can be contracted during vaginal, oral, or anal sexual contact. A Chlamydia-infected mother can pass it on to her infant. You can walk into any travel clinic in Hillingdon or Uxbridge for immediate treatment.

Signs and Symptoms

Chlamydia is usually called a 'silent disease' because infected people show no specific symptoms. This is the case with most of infected women and men. As a result, many infections go unnoticed in the beginning.

Symptoms to look for:

In women -

●     A burning sensation during urination

●     An abnormal vaginal discharge

●     Lower back pain

●     Lower abdominal pain

●     Nausea

●     Fever

●     Painful sexual intercourse

●     Bleeding between periods

In men -

●     A burning sensation while urinating

●     Abnormal discharge from the penis

●     Tenderness or pain of the testicles

Males and females may develop inflammation with redness of the eyes, Reiter syndrome with arthritis, and burning sensation during urination. If a newborn is infected, he/she may get conjunctivitis with swelling, redness, and discharge, with or without pneumonia.

What You Can Do?

Any sexually active female or male can be infected with C trachomatis. Firstly, ensure that your teenagers know about the dangers of a sexually active lifestyle and safe practice for sex. You can walk in to any sexual health clinics in your vicinity or even travel clinic in Heathrow or Middlesex.

When To Call Your Doctor?

Call your doctor if you or anyone experiences any of the above listed symptoms. If your newborn baby has a cough or an eye discharge, you should call your doctor immediately.

How Is the Diagnosis Made?

Your doctor can collect a specimen from the cervix or penis and have it tested in the lab for confirmation of the infection. A urine sample may also be tested. If a sexually active teenager is found positive for Chlamydia, he/she should also be tested for other STIs, including gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis B, and HIV.

Treatment

To treat chlamydial infection, your doctor will prescribe a few medicines such as azithromycin or oral doxycycline. A child with conjunctivitis or chlamydial pneumonia should be treated with oral medicines like erythromycin. Many times, patients with STDs shy away from going to the local chemists and getting the medicine. To avoid this, you can get medicines online and get them delivered directly at your doorstep.

Why are travel health clinics important?

As a traveller, one of the biggest concerns should be your health. For some people, however, they plan ahead and forget to visit a travel clinic.  A great travel health clinic is meant to help travellers make their tour safe.

Here are some of the ways travel clinics in Heathrow and all over UK are ensuring that your journey is safe:

Vaccinations

They advise you on the different vaccinations that you need before you commence your travel depending on your final destination. Some of the vaccinations that they might recommend include yellow fever, malaria, shingles vaccination and measles. The type of vaccination that you may need is dependent on factors such as your final destination, your current such as if you have an illness or are pregnant as well as the vaccinations that you have had before. You will also be advised on the best timing that you can get vaccinated. It is advised you visit a travel health clinic at least six to eight weeks before your journey commences.

Water safety

You will also be advised on how to use and consume safe water only. It is safer to use bottled water in some areas rather than drinking directly from the tap.

Be careful about what you eat

It is extremely tempting to try new cuisines when travelling. It is important however to be cautious and most especially for those with very sensitive stomachs. This will help minimize the risk of getting diarrhoea, hepatitis and even typhoid.

Older travellers

A travel health clinic will also advise older travellers on the things they need to take into consideration. Some of the issues to consider include; discussing your current state of health with an expert, packing medication that you may need for your journey, ensuring that your health insurance can cover for emergency evacuation and even carrying clothes that suit the climate at your destination.

They also provide tips for people with disabilities.

A great travel clinic such as Lawton Pharmacy based in Heathrow will advise on things such as having guide dogs, a wheelchair, and proximity to a health facility at your travel destination and even getting a letter from your personal doctor indicating your health history for reference purposes.