Travel Health

UK sites

 Health Advice for Travellers

From the Department of Health (NHS Choices).

 European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

If you are a UK resident, you are entitled to medical treatment that becomes necessary, at reduced cost or sometimes free, when temporarily visiting a European Union (EU) country, and some other European countries. But - you need to carry a current EHIC card. You can apply for the card online. Remember, the card expires after a certain time interval - so you may need to renew it before you go abroad.

 Travel Health Advice

Information from the British Medical Association.

 Fit for Travel

Provides travel health information for people travelling abroad from the UK. Compiled and updated by a team of experts from the Travel Medicine Division at the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health.

 National Travel Health Network and Centre

Funded by the Department of Health to promote clinical standards in travel medicine. Lots of information for the traveller as well as for health professionals.

 Foreign and Commonwealth Office Travel Advice

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Travel Advice section provides a range of material intended to advise and inform British citizens travelling abroad. This includes advice to help British travellers avoid trouble, especially threats to their personal safety arising from political unrest, lawlessness, violence, natural disasters, epidemics, anti-British demonstrations, and aircraft safety.

 Using Electricity Safely While Abroad

Information from the Electrical Safety Council - an independent body promoting electrical safety for the protection of consumers. The ESC is keen to educate as many people as possible on this subject and reduce the amount of holiday accidents caused by electricity.

 Tick Alert - from MASTA

The Tick Alert Campaign is warning travellers to 16 central and eastern European destinations to avoid tick bites and seek vaccine before travel. Tick Borne Encephalitis (TBE) - virus carrying ticks are now endemic from the Baltics to the Mediterranean. TBE is a potentially life-threatening viral disease that can lead to meningitis and result in paralysis and death in serious cases.

 Medicine Guide for Immunisations

Medicine Guides provide reliable information about medicines (drugs), conditions and the different treatment options available. They have been developed in the UK as part of the Medicines Information Project.

See also the Patient UK Immunisation page.

 Fever in the Returning Traveller

From the 'Behind the Medical Headlines' website developed to provide authoritative and independent expert commentaries on topical medical matters reported in the international media. Produced by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.

 Traveller's Diarrhoea

From the 'Behind the Medical Headlines' website developed to provide authoritative and independent expert commentaries on topical medical matters reported in the international media. Produced by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.

 Blood Care Foundation

A charitable, not for profit organisation, the Foundation operates a Blood Care Programme, which is designed to provide screened blood, in an emergency, to its members in any part of the world. The Programme is designed to alleviate the shortages of blood, which occur in many parts of the developing world.

 British Airways Health Services Online

If you are planning a flight, have a medical problem, want to know about the cabin environment, medical care in the air, etc this site provides useful information including:

• Planning your flight - advice on fitness to fly, flying with specific medical conditions (including a guide for physicians), flying when pregnant, fear of flying and travel immunisations.
• During your flight - flying and your body, medical care in the air, cabin air quality, traveller's thrombosis (DVT), cosmic radiation and the disinfection of aircraft.
• After your flight - staying healthy whilst away, food and drink, taking care in the sun and other travel health issues.
• Traveller's thrombosis (DVT) - the risks, research and advice.
• Jet lag - advice on beating jet lag, rest and alertness, sleep and caffeine use.

 Risk of Blood Clots during Air Travel

From the British Committee for Standards in Haematology. Provides information regarding the risk of blood clots (DVTs) during air travel.

 Health Protection Agency

Lots of information on infectious diseases.

 Malaria Hotspots

A website giving information on the malaria hotspots as well as travel tips and guides.

 Expatnetwork

A range of information for UK citizens abroad including a health section with health news, insurance information and details of vaccination requirements by country.

 Aviation Health Institute

Independent non-profit body promoting the health and well being of aeroplane passengers.

 Am I Fit to Fly?

Information from the Civil Aviation Authority.

 Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland

Provide an advice line service for people in Scotland. Their website also has various booklets, audio tapes, videos and factsheets - including a factsheet on air travel for people affected by heart disease and stroke.

 Family Alert

A company providing a service to individuals so that next of kin can be contacted in cases of emergency. There is also a facility to hold medical information to be accessed by professionals if necessary. A range of services are available for children, those living alone, those with medical conditions and others.

 Nomad Travel

Provides a full range of travel-related products through Nomad Travellers Stores and Mail Order Catalogue and offers a travel health service through in-house travel pharmacies and Nomad Travel Clinics. Also offers their own range of travel health products and equipment produced by Nomad Medical Ltd, available via this e-commerce enabled web site.

 Travel Doctor

An interactive web site providing travel health information for UK travellers and customised medical kits for expeditions, global adventure travellers and holiday makers.

 Accessible Travel

Accessible holidays and travel for wheelchair users, slow walkers, mature travellers, their families and friends.

 It's So Easy Travel Insurance

A not-for-profit organisation linked to the registered charity Freedom to Travel. They provide advice and information and a travel protection scheme to people who are disabled or have a medical condition.

 Travel Health Information

Comprehensive health information for the traveller from the BBC.

 Travel Health UK

Practical advice and reviewed links to web pages and resources on travel health and medicine. Recommended for those travelling abroad for business and pleasure.

 Vaccinations - I am Travelling Abroad, Will I Need Vaccinations Prior to Travel?

Frequently Asked Questions of the The Aviation Health Unit

 Travel With Care

Online secure shop selling a range of products for healthy, comfortable and safe travel.

 PAS UK and Eire

A nationwide and European private ambulance service.

 Aeromed 365 Ltd

Specialist Independant Worldwide Medical Repatriation Service providing assistance in the repatriation of patients worldwide on both dedicated air ambulances and commercial carriers.

 Wings Medical Group

Wings Medical Group currently manages over 3,000 cases per year, resulting in over 1,000 escorted commercial medical repatriations and over 200 air ambulance repatriations per year. As an assistance company Wings Medical Group offers 24-hour medical help.

 Cover My Travels

Specialist travel insurance for people with pre-existing medical conditions. Very competitive rates. Online quotes and applications.

 Travel immunisation

Information from NHS Choices - the government's patient information portal.

 Travel health

Information from NHS Choices - the government's patient information portal.

 Travellers' diarrhoea

Information from NHS Choices - the government's patient information portal.

 Travel first aid kit

Information from BUPA.

 Ear Pain During Air Travel

Information from BMJ best treatments.

Further sources / more detailed information

Some non-UK sites

The following list popular non-UK health information sites with content aimed at the general public. They are mainly from the US. They have not been checked to see if information about the above topic is included but these large sites are comprehensive.

• Non-UK disease / illness sites
• Non-UK self-help / support group sites

More detailed medical information

The following list online sources of more detailed medical information, mainly from the UK. These sites are mainly aimed at health professionals, but are of interest to all. They have not been checked to see if information about the above topic is included, but information about most medical topics can usually be found.

• PatientPlus - hundreds of medical reference articles provided by Patient UK.
• Evidence Based Medicine - such as from Clinical Evidence, The Cochrane Library, etc.
• Database of UK Clinical Guidelines - from NICE, SIGN, Clinical Knowledge Summaries etc.
• Medline - abstracts available from thousands of journals.
• Sites listing free online medical textbooks and journals.
• Sites listing free medical images - pictures, atlases, anatomy, skin diseases, etc.