Travel health advice has asked holidaymakers to add one radical item to the packing list: preparation. Passport, charger and six identical shirts remain welcome. However, UKHSA would also like travellers to think about vaccines, medicines and insect bites before they enter a taxi and ask whether malaria is covered by hand luggage.
Travel health advice meets the suitcase
UKHSA recorded 702 travel associated typhoid and paratyphoid cases in 2024. That was 8 percent above the previous year. Malaria cases also remained high. Therefore, the little bottle of sun cream and a heroic attitude have finally lost their status as a medical strategy.
"My flip flops are medically blue," said Gary Duty Free, Deputy Head of Airport Pints. "I also watched half a programme about mosquitoes. Frankly, I feel overprepared."
The airport lounge is not a clinic
Officials advise travellers to seek individual advice four to six weeks before a trip where relevant. They should check vaccines, arrange necessary medicines and get suitable insurance. Meanwhile, insect repellent, covered skin and treated bed nets can help reduce risk in destinations where insects spread disease. This is less exciting than buying a neck pillow shaped like a cloud. It is also more useful.
Gary initially planned to research everything during boarding. Then he learned that some vaccines and medicines need time. Consequently, he found a travel clinic, bought repellent and obtained insurance. His luggage still contained three shirts that looked exactly alike. Public health has limits.
At the gate, Gary checked his documents, his tablets and his insurance. Finally, he forgot the charger. The system had protected him from several preventable problems, but it could not defeat Gary himself.
Read the real story: UKHSA’s infection prevention advice for travellers.
