What jabs does my baby need?

By Michael Johnson

If you are travelling abroad with your baby, it is essential to ensure to have the right jabs for the countries you're visiting.

Consult your GP two or three months before you are due to fly to discuss what medical precautions you may need to take.

You will need to inform the GP of any jabs your baby has already had, so that they know which diseases are already covered. Any additional jabs will depend largely upon the countries you are visiting, and on your child's age and general state of health. Any course of jabs will often need to be administered in several doses over a few weeks.

The NHS recommends that travellers should avoid taking babies to parts of the world where they may be exposed to diseases for which they are too young to be vaccinated against. For example, children under six months of age cannot be vaccinated against yellow fever (for risk of encephalitis), and babies under the age of two months cannot take anti-malaria tablets.

Should your baby have a pre-existing medical condition, your GP may also be able to advise on identification of doctors in your chosen destination that are specialists.

Dr Laurence Gerlis of samedaydoctor.com adds: "Samedaydoctor offers a standard travel pack for £140 which includes hepatitis A, typhoid, diptheria, tetanus and polio. In addition, some travellers need yellow fever jabs and malaria tablets. Few other vaccines are really necessary except in unusual circumstances. Please check with your travel agent."

Please ensure that you always consult your GP before travel. For further advice, visit the Department of Health, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the NHS websites.

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