• Half of holidaymakers do not look into whether they need vaccines before going abroad
• 56 per cent of holidaymakers don’t know which countries they need vaccines for
• A third of those who travel abroad don’t know which diseases they have been vaccinated against

As the long haul holiday season gets underway, new research indicates that UK holidaymakers may be travelling abroad without the recommended vaccines and medications, putting their health at risk and potentially invalidating their travel insurance.

According to the study by Post Office® Travel Insurance, almost half of holidaymakers (44 per cent) do not research whether vaccinations or medicines were recommended before going abroad and nearly a third (31 per cent) do not recall which diseases they have been vaccinated against or when they last received vaccines (36 per cent).

The research revealed that more than half of those who travel abroad (56 per cent) were unable to correctly identify holiday destinations where vaccines and preventative medicines (e.g. malaria tablets) are recommended. Slovenia and Bulgaria were the countries that tourists were most likely to be confused about with a staggering 94 per cent of holidaymakers unaware that tetanus and hepatitis A vaccines are usually advised by the Department of Health before visiting these popular destinations.

Russia also proved particularly confusing with 91 per cent of people believing that they did not need vaccines and 32 per cent of respondents came unstuck on long haul favourite Thailand and were unaware that vaccines are recommended before visiting.

As well as confusion about where they would need vaccinations, UK holidaymakers are also unsure about which vaccines they can get for free; 71 per cent of people are not aware that typhoid, hepatitis A, meningitis C, tetanus, diphtheria and polio are all usually available free on the NHS.

Top ten holiday destinations that UK holidaymakers did not know require vaccines:

Read top ten holiday destinations that UK holidaymakers did not know require vaccines table

Rachel Croft, Head of Post Office Travel Insurance said: “It is worrying to see that so many of us are careless when it comes to checking whether vaccines or preventative medicines such as malaria tablets are recommended before visiting a destination. Not only are holidaymakers potentially risking their health, but they also risk invalidating their insurance policy should they become ill and need to seek medical treatment.

Rachel Croft continued: “In the unfortunate event that you become ill on holiday, you don’t want to be worrying about crippling health costs, particularly if travelling to long haul destinations where the EHIC is not applicable. It is important that customers take the necessary care to safeguard their health and avoid the potential financial implications – the average cost of a medical claim last year was £800.”

Dr Peter Swinyard, Chairman of the Family Doctor Association, said: “When going on holiday, being ill is the last thing you want to happen, particularly if any illness could have been prevented. We recommend that you speak to your GP or use a trusted source such as the NHS Fit for Travel website before going on holiday so that you can help to cover yourself for any eventuality. It’s easy for us to forget which vaccines we have had and when, but you can find this out by speaking to your GP. Many of the vaccines recommended before visiting certain countries are usually available on the NHS, so make sure you do your research before you go.”

Visit www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk to find out which vaccines are recommended for each country and to find out more health information before travelling abroad. Post Office Travel Insurance offers a range of insurance products for your needs, visit www.postoffice.co.uk, call 0800 294 6158 or pop into your local branch for details.

ENDS

For more information, please contact:

3 Monkeys Communications
Redzi Mangwana/Edith Barton-Harvey
redzi@3-Monkeys.co.uk
edith@3-Monkeys.co.uk

Post Office Travel Services
Hayley Fowell
hayley.fowell@royalmail.com

Notes to editors:
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2023 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 2nd – 5th October 2009. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).

Top ten holiday destinations that baffle UK holidaymakers when it comes to vaccinations
(% of people who weren’t aware they would need vaccines)
Bulgaria (94 per cent)
• Courses or boosters usually advised: tetanus, hepatitis A
• Vaccines sometimes advised: diphtheria, hepatitis B, rabies, tick-borne encephalitis, tuberculosis
Slovenia (94 per cent)
• Courses or boosters usually advised: tetanus, hepatitis A
• Vaccines sometimes advised: rabies, hepatitis B, diphtheria, tick-borne encephalitis
Russia (91 per cent)
• Courses or boosters usually advised: hepatitis A, diphtheria, tetanus
• Vaccines sometimes advised: typhoid, tuberculosis, hepatitis B, rabies, tick-borne encephalitis, Japanese B encephalitis, meningococcal meningitis. For Asian and Far Eastern regions only, cholera may sometimes be advised
Turkey (83 per cent)
• Courses or boosters usually advised: hepatitis A, typhoid, diphtheria, tetanus
• Vaccines sometimes advised: hepatitis B, rabies
Saudi Arabia (62 per cent)
• Courses or boosters usually advised: tetanus, hepatitis A
• Vaccines sometimes advised: diphtheria, typhoid, tuberculosis, hepatitis B, meningococcal meningitis, rabies, influenza
Argentina (62 per cent)
• Courses or boosters usually advised: tetanus, hepatitis A, yellow fever
• Vaccines sometimes advised: diphtheria, typhoid, hepatitis B, rabies
Jamaica (57 per cent)
• Courses or boosters usually advised: tetanus, hepatitis A
• Vaccines sometimes advised: diphtheria, hepatitis B
China (55 per cent)
• Courses or boosters usually advised: diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis A
• Vaccines sometimes advised: typhoid, Japanese B encephalitis, rabies (China only), tuberculosis, hepatitis B, cholera, tick-borne encephalitis
Morocco (53 per cent)
• Courses or boosters usually advised: tetanus, hepatitis A
• Vaccines sometimes advised: typhoid, diphtheria, hepatitis B, rabies
Cuba (52 per cent)
• Courses or boosters usually advised: tetanus, hepatitis A
• Vaccines sometimes advised: hepatitis B, rabies, diphtheria

Routine vaccinations that children have in the UK cover the following:
(Source: www.immunisation.nhs.uk)
• Diphtheria (D)
• Tetanus (T)
• Pertussis (whooping cough) (P)
• Polio (IPV – inactivated polio vaccine)
• Hib (haemophilus influenzae type b)
• Measles
• Mumps
• Rubella
Courses or boosters often recommended when going abroad which are not routine vaccines for children in the UK:

• Hepatitis B, hepatitis A, typhoid and yellow fever.

About Post Office Travel Services:
The Post Office was voted Best Travel Insurance Company by consumers for the fourth year running at the 2009 British Travel Awards. It offers single trip policies (no upper age limit and cover available for a maximum of 90 days) and annual multi-trip policies (age limit 74 years and maximum of 31 days’ per trip). Policies offer a range of benefits including medical cover up to £10,000,000. For more information about Post Office Travel Insurance call: 0800 294 6158 or visit www.postoffice.co.uk

The Post Office is also the UK’s largest bureau de change provider offering over 70 different currencies with 0 per cent commission on all foreign currency and travellers’ cheques. The Post Office pre-paid Travel Money Card offers customers a secure and convenient way to carry their holiday money and the Post Office Credit Card is one of the few to offer 0 per cent commission on overseas purchases.

The Post Office also provides a range of other great value travel services including EHIC forms, passport check and send service and photos and international money transfers.

About The Family Doctor Association
The Family Doctor Association unites over 1000 UK GP practices that offer patients continuity of care and the opportunity to see their own GP. The Associations purpose is to promote the importance of continuity of care in family medicine and to encourage and assist fellow GP practices; the Department of Health and health leaders to recognise its importance in the delivery of quality primary health care. GP practices that are part of the Family Doctor Association offer patients continuity of care and traditional family medicine. Members display the Family Doctor Association logo.