Miles Pharmacy Blog

Cervical cancer caused the death of 854 women in the UK from 2016 to 2018. This dreaded disease remains one of the most prevalent forms of cancer in the country.

Hepatitis A is a liver infection caused by a virus which is spread via an infected person’s faeces. Hepatitis A is not a common disease in the UK but there are certain groups of people at increased risk and these include men who have sex with men and drug users who inject drugs. There is a vaccination for Hepatitis A including a vaccination for Hepatitis A for children who would normally be considered at a much lower risk of the disease unless they are travelling to parts of the world where there is poor sanitation and food hygiene.

If you travel to certain parts of the world where there are endemic diseases like cholera and typhoid, then there are recommended vaccines depending on your destination and length of stay. Miles Pharmacy runs a travel clinic in Epsom which covers all the travel vaccinations you will need for different locations around the world including the rabies vaccine with up-to-date protocols and guidance on how to stay safe.

Cholera is a horrible illness that will spoil your day and travel plans. It causes severe diarrhoea which can become very serious if it is not treated with rehydration, intravenous fluids and antibiotics. To avoid the risk of cholera infection, have the cholera vaccinewhich is available as part of our travel vaccinations service in Epsom.

Meningococcal disease is caused by the meningococcal bacteria and results in four strains of the illness known as A, C, W and Y. The ACWY vaccine protects against all four types of meningitis and is available at our Travel vaccinations clinic in Epsom.

Cholera is easily caught by eating food and drinking water which is contaminated with the bacteria, Vibrio Cholerae. and it spreads like wildfire.  Locations with poor sanitation or developing nations struggling with war or famine are common locations for outbreaks of cholera.

Rabies is a viral disease usually passed from an infected animal to a human via a scratch or bite.  When most people think of rabies they tend to think of dogs but rabies is also quite common in cats, cattle, monkeys, foxes and bats too.  Rabies is everywhere (although not in the UK) but is most common in Asia, Central and South America and Africa.

Before you go abroad, it is important to make sure you have everything ticked off your ‘to do’ list. But it’s not just renewing your passport, collecting foreign currency and packing your suitcase that you need to think about. Making time for your holiday vaccinations is also important.

The DTaP vaccine is a combined vaccine that protects against diphtheria, tetanus and polio. The trade name of the vaccine is Revaxis. Although it is often given to babies at around the age of 8, 12 and 16 weeks, there are many reasons why you or your child may have missed out on this vaccine via the NHS. At Miles Pharmacy, we offer this vaccine at our travel clinic in Ashtead.

Flying across the globe to a new continent can be one of the most exciting things you ever do. Whether you’re taking a short break in an exotic location or planning a roundaround the world trip, making sure your travel health is up to date is one of the most important things to tick of on your traveller’s to-do list. At Miles Pharmacy, we offer travel vaccinations in Epsom, including yellow fever and Japanese encephalitis.