You should visit your doctor well in advance of your
travelling arrangements (preferably at least two months) before your departure,
for advice and to arrange immunisations. Some of these cannot be given
at the same time. Some take time to be effective. Immunisation against
Hepatitis B, for example, can take six months to give full protection.
However, see your doctor even if you are going at short notice –
some protection may be better than none. Tell your doctor where you are
going, if you are or may become pregnant and if you are taking children
with you. This is particularly important if they have not had their full
course of childhood immunisations.
If you need anti-malaria medication, your doctor will
advise on which is most appropriate. You should start taking the medication
a week before departure.
If you have any pre-existing medical conditions that
require prescribed medicines while abroad, check on their availability
at your destination since your doctor can normally only prescribe a limited
quantity under the NHS, but make sure that you have been prescribed what
your doctor is able to give and where possible take sufficient for your
entire trip.
If the medication cannot be obtained where you are going
or you are unable to get prescribed quite the volume you require you will
have to purchase supplies in the UK.
When taking medicines out of the UK.
If you want to take any sort of medicine with you – either prescribed
or bought from a pharmacist you must find out if there are any restrictions
on taking it in and out of the UK or the country you are visiting. To
do this you can ask the relevant Embassy or High Commission or the Home
Office Drugs Branch (Tel: 020 7273 3806).
Always carry medicines in a correctly labelled container,
as issued by the pharmacist. Otherwise take a letter from your doctor
or a personal health record card giving details of the drug prescribed
in case you need it to get you through Customs. Remember, some medicines
available over the counter in the UK may be controlled in other countries,
and vice versa. Another piece of good advice is to pack some of your medication
in your hand luggage and some in your backpack or suitcase, just in case
one or other gets lost or stolen.
Your existing medication and medical conditions
Always make sure that you write down exactly what medication you are taking,
ideally the actual name (it’s chemical name) and also the brand
name. That way if you do need further supplies abroad it should be easier
for the pharmacist to prescribe you with the correct drug quickly. Ideally
a letter from your GP regarding your illness/condition and the medication
that you are using would be useful in case this needs to be shown while
going through customs and also in case of emergency.
Your existing allergies
Before you go try to think of anything that you are allergic too. Obviously
the standard hay fever type allergies can be catered for, by you taking
the relevant medication, but are you allergic to Aspirin or Penicillin,
have you been in the past. If you are then you should consider wearing
a necklace or bracelet explaining this. There are specialist companies
that produce these and they can normally be obtained from your local chemist.
If you are an existing asthma sufferer you should take spare inhalers
and those of you that suffer from nut allergies should take epipens. If
you have in the past been allergic to something then it may be advisable
to take a packet of antihistamine tablets with you.
Make sure you visit the dentist before you go!!
If you are planning to travel for some time it is definitely worth visiting
your dentist. Even if you are not registered with a dentist you can now
visit one in some retailer’s e.g. Boots the Chemist. Once abroad
you may find that seeing a dentist is not only very expensive but may
prove very difficulty too and in some countries the level of hygiene undertaken
by dentists is not as we are used to in the UK, so if you do require emergency
dental treatment abroad check which clinic is recommended by contacting
your Insurance 24hour assistance helpline or visit one that ideally is
recommended.
Take a First Aid Kit
As already mentioned in our Essentials to take feature the following items
are the bare minimum that you should take while away. A packet of adhesive
dressings, some insect repellent, diarrhoea tablets, antiseptic cream
and water-sterilisation tablets will take up little space and could be
useful.
Enhance your kit with an Emergency Medical Travel
Kit
Although the following items are not to be used by yourself the following
sterilised and sealed items of equipment, such as syringes, needles and
suture materials are useful in medical emergencies in countries where
safety of such items cannot be assured. They should be given to the relevant
doctors or nurses to use. They can be purchased through a pharmacist,
private medical centre, or from a number of other suppliers.
A typical kit should contain:
• 2 x 5ml syringes
• 5 x needles (preferably two sizes)
• 1 dental needle
• 1 intravenous cannula
• 1 skin suture with needle
• 1 packet skin closure strips
• 5 alcohol swabs for skin cleansing
• 5cm x 5cm and 10cm x 10cm non-stick dressings
• 1 roll surgical tape
Additional items such as an intravenous-giving set and
a blood substitute solution may be advised for journeys to remote areas.
Your doctor will be able to provide more information.
Emergency medical travel kits should carry sufficient
identification to ensure their acceptance by Customs officials but the
contents should not be opened until needed. It is also unwise to carry
loose syringes or needles unless you have a doctor’s letter explaining
their purpose – if, for example, you are a diabetic.
