Planning A Holiday? West Midlands Residents Urged To Stay Healthy With These Travel Health Precautions: What You Need To Know

Friday, July 25, 2025

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned West Midlands residents to protect themselves against travel-associated infections arsenic summertime transpires. Recent information bespeak a singular summation successful gastrointestinal infections and enteric fever successful travelers to this region. As summertime approaches and pinch group gearing up to recreation abroad, residents are urged to beryllium vigilant pinch their wellness successful nan run-up to, during and aft holidays.

Rising Cases of Travel-Related Infections successful nan West Midlands

Between 2022 and 2024, nan West Midlands reported 477 cases of gastrointestinal infections contracted abroad, making it nan second-highest region successful nan UK for specified illnesses. These types of infections, which see diseases specified arsenic traveler’s diarrhea, are mostly contracted from contaminated nutrient aliases water. Travelers tin go sick from consuming nutrient that has been prepared successful unsanitary conditions, aliases by drinking h2o that has been contaminated pinch pathogens for illustration bacteria, viruses, aliases parasites.

In summation to gastrointestinal infections, nan West Midlands besides recorded 67 cases of enteric fever, which includes some typhoid and paratyphoid fever. These illnesses are caused by bacteria, astir commonly Salmonella species, and are much prevalent successful regions pinch inadequate sanitation. Enteric fever is typically transmitted done depletion of contaminated nutrient aliases water, including seafood that has been tainted pinch sewage.

The Importance of Vaccinations Before Traveling

To combat nan rising number of travel-related infections, UKHSA is emphasizing nan value of due vaccinations, which tin thief protect individuals from superior diseases while abroad. One of nan cardinal vaccines recommended is nan MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine. Although bales is nary longer arsenic communal successful nan UK, it remains a superior consequence successful galore parts of nan world, peculiarly successful regions pinch little vaccination rates. Vaccination against diseases specified arsenic typhoid and hepatitis A tin besides beryllium crucial, peculiarly erstwhile walking to countries pinch higher incidences of these diseases.

UKHSA besides recommends that travelers consult pinch their GP aliases a recreation session good successful beforehand of their travel to guarantee they person immoderate required vaccinations. Some destinations whitethorn require circumstantial vaccines for entry, specified arsenic nan yellowish fever vaccine aliases malaria prophylaxis, depending connected nan region. It is important to schedule vaccinations astatine slightest 6-8 weeks earlier departure to let capable clip for nan vaccines to return effect.

The UKHSA Travel Health Pro website provides country-specific information, including guidance connected which vaccinations are recommended aliases required for various destinations. The website besides provides proposal connected medications to carry, specified arsenic malaria tablets, arsenic good arsenic precautions to return to forestall gastrointestinal infections and traveler’s diarrhea.

Tips for Protecting Yourself from Travel-Related Infections

In summation to ensuring that vaccinations are up to date, UKHSA offers respective different cardinal recommendations to minimize nan consequence of contracting travel-related diseases. Here are immoderate simple, effective steps you tin return before, during, and aft your travels:

Food and Water Safety

When traveling, it is important to beryllium cautious astir nan nutrient and h2o you consume. Contaminated nutrient and h2o are nan superior sources of gastrointestinal infections and enteric fever. UKHSA advises travelers to debar consuming:

Raw aliases undercooked meats and seafood

Unpeeled fruits and vegetables that whitethorn person been washed successful contaminated water

Ice aliases h2o that whitethorn not person been decently treated aliases filtered

Whenever possible, portion bottled h2o and debar pat water, moreover for brushing your teeth. Also, beryllium cautious astir consuming nutrient from thoroughfare vendors aliases places wherever sanitation practices whitethorn beryllium questionable.

Personal Hygiene

Good hygiene practices are basal successful reducing nan consequence of infection. Washing your hands thoroughly pinch soap and water, peculiarly earlier eating and aft utilizing nan bathroom, is 1 of nan champion ways to forestall illness. If soap and h2o are not available, utilizing manus sanitizer pinch astatine slightest 60% intoxicant tin thief trim nan dispersed of germs.

Insect Protection

Insects tin besides airs a consequence to travelers, peculiarly successful regions wherever diseases for illustration malaria aliases dengue fever are common. UKHSA recommends utilizing insect repellent that contains DEET, wearing agelong sleeves and pants successful areas pinch precocious insect activity, and sleeping nether a mosquito nett if necessary.

Sun Protection and Hydration

While protecting yourself from infections is simply a superior concern, it’s besides important to enactment hydrated and protect yourself from sun exposure. Drink plentifulness of fluids to debar dehydration, particularly successful basking climates. Always deterioration sunscreen to protect your tegument from harmful UV rays.

Travel Insurance

It’s besides recommended to person broad recreation security that covers aesculapian expenses, including emergency aesculapian treatment, evacuation, and imaginable quarantine successful nan arena of illness. Having security ensures that you are protected should you request aesculapian attraction while abroad.

The Role of Travel Health Pro

To make recreation wellness much accessible, UKHSA’s Travel Health Pro website is an invaluable assets for travelers. The website offers elaborate accusation connected vaccinations, wellness risks successful circumstantial countries, and tips for staying patient while abroad. Travelers tin besides find proposal connected really to forestall communal travel-related illnesses for illustration traveler’s diarrhea and malaria, arsenic good arsenic guidance connected what medications and vaccinations they mightiness request earlier departing.

The website besides provides a searchable database of recommended vaccinations by country, allowing travelers to scheme up and guarantee they are afloat protected against imaginable risks. It’s a broad instrumentality that helps travelers enactment informed and return nan basal steps to safeguard their wellness while traveling.

Conclusion

Now that nan summertime vacation play is upon us, and accrued numbers of america scheme to recreation to nan much exotic destinations pinch much basal sanitation systems, nan risks are moreover greater. But residents tin little their consequence of sickness erstwhile overseas if they scheme correctly and return precautions, West Midlands’ GP leaders said. Remaining existent connected vaccinations, practicing bully hygiene and heeding wellness and information proposal are immoderate of nan tips for staying patient while connected nan road.

UKHSA’s recreation wellness proposal together pinch that provided connected Travel Health Pro provides nan nationalist successful nan West Midlands pinch nan specifications they request to return steps to protect themselves from travel-related diseases and get nan astir retired of their summertime travel.