Vaccine Information

Cholera is a bacterial infection of the small intestine that results in vomiting and diarrhoea. It leaves the patient at risk of electrolyte imbalance and dehydration. It can be fatal and causes 95,000 deaths a year. It occurs where sanitation is poor and in places hit by natural disasters or conflict.

Diphtheria is a serious respiratory infection that affects the throat and can result in damage to the heart and multi-organ failure. Diphtheria can be fatal. The bacteria that cause a diphtheria infection are transmitted through contact with the respiratory droplets that are expelled when sneezing and coughing. It spreads quickly in over-crowded conditions.

The hepatitis A virus causes inflammation of the liver. It is contracted through water and food contaminated with the faeces of an infected person. It can also be acquired through person-to-person contact. Epidemics of hepatitis A occur from time to time and are usually linked to contaminated food or water. Recovery from hep A can take weeks or months, though most patients do get better.

Hepatitis B is a viral infection that causes inflammation of the liver. It is more serious and long-lasting than hepatitis A and can result in death, often from cirrhosis or liver cancer. Hep B is spread through blood and bodily fluids. According to the World Health Organization 257 million people are living with a hepatitis B infection.

Infection with the mosquito-borne virus that causes Japanese encephalitis can result in permanent neurological damage. Most cases are mild, but one in 250 cases progresses to a severe clinical case; and about 30% of these patients will die. The World Health Organization records 68,000 clinical cases every year.

Malaria is contracted via a bite from a mosquito infected with single-celled parasites. This fever can be very serious or fatal. According to the World Health Organization, malaria caused an estimated 429,000 deaths in 2015 and there were 212 million cases.

Polio (poliomyelitis) is highly contagious and occurs in areas where sanitation is poor. Infection occurs in the gastro-intestinal tract and can spread to the nervous system. This viral infection can be very serious, as it can cause nerve damage that may be permanent. There is no cure for polio, but it is vaccine preventable.

Death is the usual outcome of a rabies infection if it is not treated promptly. The rabies virus is contracted from animal bites or scratches. It causes encephalomyelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord and brain. Dog bites are the most common infection route, but bats are considered a risk worldwide and cats, monkeys and bats in some areas.

About a third to half of cases of infection by tetanus bacteria result in death. The bacteria that causes tetanus, which is found worldwide in soil and in animal guts and can easily contaminate many surfaces, usually gets into the body through a wound. The bacteria release neurotoxins in the wound and this causes muscle spasms that can eventually result in breathing difficulties and death.

The majority of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) cases are picked up from a bite by an infected ixodids tick. The symptoms of an infection with this virus are flu-like, including nausea, muscle pain, lethargy and malaise. This flu-like illness can progress to encephalitis. Encephalitis may result in death or permanent neurological damage and leave patients needing long-term rehab.

Typhoid is caused by Salmonella bacteria growing in the intestines and in the blood. The symptoms of a typhoid infection include headache, abdominal pains, constipation, confusion and fever. Typhoid is very infectious and it is most common in parts of the world where sanitation is poor. Typhoid needs to be treated with antibiotics otherwise the symptoms will continue to get worse. One in five untreated typhoid patients will die.

Yellow fever is a serious, sometimes fatal, viral illness that is spread by a mosquito, Aedes aegypti. The symptoms of yellow fever include fever, muscle pain, vomiting, nausea and jaundice. Yellow fever can have a fatality rate as high as 60%. Some countries will not let you in if you do not have proof of immunity from yellow fever.

Meningococcal meningitis is a respiratory infection that can swiftly progress to systemic infection and death. The bacteria that causes meningococcal meningitis is spread person-to-person through respiratory droplets. The symptoms include fever, headache, nausea, sensitivity to light, stiff neck and bloodspots under the skin. Pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia for Hajj will need to produce a certificate of vaccination against meningococcal meningitis.