If you’re planning to travel abroad, you may need to be vaccinated against diseases such as yellow fever, hepatitis A, and rabies. Vaccinations protect you against infectious diseases. They will prevent you from getting sick or, if you do become ill, from serious complications.
Do I need to get vaccinated for my trip?
Travel vaccinations are recommended for many countries in Asia, Africa, Central and South America, Eastern Europe, and around the Mediterranean. The vaccinations you need will depend on the areas that you will be visiting. You can find the vaccinations that you will require in the travel advice for your destination.
Whether vaccinations are recommended will depend on the infectious diseases that occur at your destination and on the general level of hygiene in that country. In addition, the duration of your trip, where you will be staying, the nature of your activities, and your own health history may also be a reason to get additional vaccinations. This is what we call ‘individualized travel advice’.
Mandatory vaccinations
In some countries vaccinations are required in order to enter the country. You will need to show proof of vaccination (International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP), also known as yellow card - the gele vaccinatieboekje in Dutch) before entering the country. Countries do this to prevent diseases entering the country. Vaccination against yellow fever is the most common and widely known mandatory vaccination.
What diseases can I be vaccinated against?
There are vaccines for the majority of infectious diseases. One exception to this, however, are infectious diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. Preventive measures to reduce the risk of malaria, chikungunya, dengue, and Zika are therefore recommended, such as taking malaria pills and using DEET.
Some vaccines are effective after a single dose. Other vaccines involve a number of shots, however, which is why we advise you to visit our clinic well before you are due to travel. This will give you ample time to complete the vaccination series.
- Dengue (2x) - MMR (1x)
- DTP (1x) - Rabies (2x)
- Hepatitis A (1 or 2x) - Tick-borne encephalitis (2 or 3x)
- Hepatitis B (2 or 3x) - Typhoid (1x)
- Japanese encephalitis (2x) - Yellow fever (1x)
- Meningitis (1x)
How do vaccinations work?
Vaccinations train the immune system to recognize and fight pathogens (the germs that cause the disease). Infectious diseases are caused by bacteria or viruses. A vaccine contains small amounts of a weakened or dead form of a pathogen. These pathogens are no longer dangerous, but will trigger the immune system to produce antibodies. This way, your body builds up immunity and is better protected against the diseases.
Do vaccinations have side effects?
Like all drugs, vaccines can have side effects. Most side effects are mild and do not last long, disappearing after 1 or 2 days. If necessary, paracetamol can be used to relieve the symptoms. The most common side effects are:
- muscle pain
- swelling or redness at vaccination site
- fever
- fatigue