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The travel clinic should be top of every traveller’s check-list – including those going on a package-holiday – as more tourists are at risk from the potentially deadly disease. With travel clinics in London and across the country City Doc can help.

Malaria is a killer, and yet news reports show that tourists are increasingly at risk, despite the fact a quick trip to a travel clinic will safeguard them from the disease. Medical experts have warned that tourists need to prioritise appointments at a travel clinic as more Brits are dying as a result of complacency born out of a package-holiday mentality. For the intrepid traveller, a trip to the travel clinic is often run-of-the-mill, but for tourists used to having every last detail of their vacation planned out for them, they run the risk of being blasé or even ignorant about the malaria risks.

Travel Clinic: Travellers Skip Malaria Pills

In 2007, the press reported on the story of Jo Yirrell, who lost her son Harry to malaria two years before. The story was to highlight the growing problem: a couple of years ago in 2006, 1,386 Brits were diagnosed with potentially fatal malaria, 8 of which died. A trip to a travel clinic and strict adherence to that travel clinic’s instructions on taking anti-malarial pills could have saved those lives. It has been estimated by the Health Protection Agency that the rise in Brits catching the deadly forms of malaria is because a shocking 80% do not take the necessary medication. A simple trip to a travel clinic before you fly however could prevent the rampant disease that kills three million people a year globally.

Travel Clinic: Malaria Risks

If you are unclear whether or not the country you’re heading to is a malaria risk, ask at your local travel clinic. The travel clinic will give you full, specialised advice on the immunisations, vaccinations and anti-malarial pills that you may or may not need. The disease is caught by a simple mosquito bite. And as package holidays increase to areas that contain the malaria risk, such as Jamaica and Goa, more British tourists are being exposed to the potentially deadly disease.

Don’t Take the Risk

It’s feared the majority of these tourists don’t seek out advice at a travel clinic, or if they do, don’t take the anti-malarial pills correctly. And yet as a travel clinic will advise, the pills will reduce the risk of catching malaria by 90%. Health experts urge travellers to visit a travel clinic and seek professional health advice before travelling. Gap year students who undertake voluntary work in areas such as West Africa should also book their appointments with a travel clinic – often voluntary projects abroad target areas that are at high risk of malaria. Jo Yirrell’s son Harry died from the disease after teaching English in West Africa during his gap year. He was just 20. Although he had gone to a travel clinic and did have a supply of anti-malarial tablets, he gave them to the children he taught as he felt they were more vulnerable than a strong healthy westerner.

Areas where travellers are most vulnerable include sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian sub-continent, such as Sri Lanka and Nepal.

Choose CityDoc for all your Travel Clinic needs

At CityDoc, you can book over the phone or walk into one of our London travel clinics or find a clinic near you for a same-day appointment. Don’t travel abroad without ensuring that you’ve had the right vaccinations. CityDoc provides a complete travel clinic service, customized to your individual needs. Our pre-travel consultations are with experienced General Practitioners who will assess the impact of any pre-existing chronic medical conditions on your vaccine requirements. We have the full range of travel vaccines in stock including rarer vaccines such as Japanese Encephalitis. CityDoc is a registered yellow fever centre and is able to dispense anti-malarials directly from our in house pharmacy for your added convenience. Choose from our three London travel clinics and Birmingham travel clinics for ease of access.