Fit For Travel Introduces New Travel Vaccine Arrangements 

IF YOU’RE thinking of getting away this summer, please be aware of changes to local travel vaccine arrangements. 

As part of national moves under the ‘Fit for Travel’ initiative, NHS Dumfries and Galloway have established a new comprehensive approach to travel vaccines.

Immunisation Co-ordinator Dr Andrew Rideout said: “Fit for Travel is a great central source of advice for people who are going to be travelling.

“It provides information on the places where people will be visiting, covers considerations such as a travel health risk assessment before heading off, and sets out what vaccinations may be required.

“The national website then takes people on to the travel vaccination section of our NHS Dumfries and Galloway website, which provides information on the new arrangements for obtaining vaccinations within our region.”

Under the new approach, which links to the latest contract for GPs, NHS Dumfries and Galloway is providing a comprehensive range of travel vaccinations out of four medical practices within the region – in Dumfries, Dalbeattie and Glenluce.

Dr Rideout said: “In the first instance, anyone planning to travel should visit the national website www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk to see what steps they should be taking, and what vaccinations are required.

“If vaccinations are needed, they should then make contact with one of the four travel vaccination centres within Dumfries and Galloway.

“These are located at Dalbeattie Medical Practice in Dalbeattie, Glenluce Surgery in Glenluce, and Greyfriars Medical Centre and Lochthorn Medical Centre in Dumfries.

“Responsibility for provision of travel vaccinations now sits directly with NHS Boards

“The following travel vaccines are provided free for residents of Scotland planning to travel abroad. These vaccinations are provided free because they protect against diseases thought to represent the greatest risk to public health if they were brought into the country.

• Polio

• Typhoid

• Hepatitis A

• Cholera

“We’d encourage everyone to think ahead if they are planning to travel, both due to the need to make arrangements and because vaccinations are recommended to take place eight weeks before travelling, with some possibly requiring a further booster before travel.

“This is the currently the case with anyone planning to travel to Mecca for the Hajj on June 26 2023, with vaccinations required at least 14 days in advance.

“We’d encourage anyone from the region planning to head to Saudi Arabia or any other country to first consult the Fit for Travel website, and, if directed, to make travel vaccine arrangements using one of the four centres whose details are listed on our local site, www.nhsdg.co.uk/travel/ ”