Travelling abroad with children can be exciting, whether you are visiting family, going on holiday, attending a wedding, travelling for pilgrimage or taking part in a school or group trip. When the journey includes destinations with higher risks of infections, malaria, animal exposure, food and water illness or limited access to healthcare, planning ahead becomes especially important.
Children have different travel-health needs from adults. Their vaccine eligibility, medicine doses, risk of dehydration and ability to describe symptoms can vary by age, weight and medical history. A pre-travel assessment should therefore be based on the child as well as the destination.
What Does a Higher-Risk Destination Mean for a Child?
A higher-risk destination is not simply a country that is considered unsafe. In travel health, the important question is whether the child may be exposed to infections, malaria, mosquito-borne disease, rabies, unsafe food or water, extreme heat, difficult transport or limited access to reliable medical care.
Risk can also vary within the same country. A short stay in a major city may involve different considerations from a long family visit, rural travel, backpacking, pilgrimage, safari, volunteering or a trip involving several countries.
Arrange Travel-Health Advice Early
NHS guidance recommends trying to get advice from a travel-health professional at least 4 to 6 weeks before travel. This allows time to review routine vaccinations, discuss destination-specific risks and complete vaccine schedules that may need more than one dose.
If your departure is closer than this, it can still be worth seeking advice. Do not assume that it is too late to discuss vaccines, malaria prevention, bite protection or other travel-health measures.
For more detail on timing, read When Should You Get Travel Vaccinations Before Travelling?.
Check Routine Childhood Vaccinations
Before an international trip, check that your child is up to date with the routine UK vaccination schedule. NHS guidance recommends that all travellers, including children, are up to date with standard vaccinations such as measles protection.
If you are unsure what your child has already received, check available vaccination records in the NHS App where applicable or ask your GP practice for help with the vaccination history.
Why Your Child’s Age Matters
Travel vaccines are age-specific. Some can be used from infancy, while others are only suitable from a particular age or may use different schedules for younger children.
The same applies to antimalarial medicines and other treatments. Suitability and dose can depend on age, weight, destination, medical history and other medicines, so children should not simply be given an adult travel-health plan.
Which Travel Vaccines Might Be Discussed?
The vaccines that may be relevant depend on the destination, length of stay, activities, age and previous vaccination history. Depending on the trip, a travel-health professional may discuss vaccines such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, meningococcal ACWY, rabies, Japanese encephalitis, cholera or tick-borne encephalitis.
Not every child needs every vaccine. Recommendations should be based on an individual risk assessment rather than a generic list.
For a wider overview, see What Vaccines Do You Need for Travel?.
Yellow Fever and Children
Yellow fever vaccination may be relevant for some destinations in Africa or South America, or because of certificate requirements linked to a travel route. Suitability in children depends on age and medical circumstances.
If yellow fever vaccination or an International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis is required, this must be arranged through a designated Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre. Check the latest official country guidance before travelling.
Malaria Can Be More Serious in Children
TravelHealthPro notes that infants and young children are more likely to develop severe malaria. The risk depends on the exact country and region, season, accommodation, length of stay and activities.
Where malaria prevention is relevant, advice may include mosquito-bite precautions and, for some children, antimalarial medicine. The correct option and dose depend on the child’s age, weight, destination and medical history.
If a child becomes unwell with fever during or after travel to a malaria-risk area, seek medical advice promptly and tell the clinician where the child has travelled.
Protect Children From Mosquito and Insect Bites
Mosquitoes can spread illnesses such as malaria, dengue, chikungunya and Zika in some destinations. Some bite mainly at night while others bite during the day.
Practical precautions can include:
- Using an age-appropriate insect repellent according to the product instructions
- Covering exposed skin with suitable clothing where practical
- Using mosquito nets where appropriate
- Choosing screened or air-conditioned accommodation where possible
- Taking extra care during times and in places where biting insects are common
Rabies and Animal Contact
Children may be more likely than adults to approach or play with animals, and they may not always tell a parent about a small scratch or bite. In countries where rabies is present, this needs particular attention.
Teach children not to touch dogs, cats, monkeys, bats or other animals, even if they appear friendly. If a child is bitten, scratched or licked on broken skin, wash the area thoroughly with soap and running water and seek urgent medical advice. This remains important even if the child had rabies vaccination before travel.
Food, Water and Traveller’s Diarrhoea
Food and water infections are common problems during international travel. Young children can become dehydrated more quickly than adults, so prevention and early fluid replacement are important.
Helpful precautions include:
- Frequent handwashing with soap and water
- Using safe drinking water for drinking and preparing food where required
- Choosing food that is freshly cooked and served hot
- Taking care with raw or undercooked food
- Being cautious with ice, unpasteurised products and foods that may have been left standing
Read our practical guide to Traveller’s Diarrhoea Prevention.
Know the Signs of Dehydration
Diarrhoea, vomiting, fever and hot weather can all contribute to dehydration. Parents should pay attention to whether the child is drinking, passing urine normally, staying alert and able to keep fluids down.
Seek medical help promptly if you are worried about dehydration, if the child is unusually drowsy, cannot keep fluids down, has blood in the stool, has severe or worsening symptoms, or is very young and becoming unwell.
Heat and Sun Safety
Babies and young children can be more vulnerable to heat. Plan shade and rest breaks, encourage regular fluids, use suitable sun protection and avoid unnecessary exposure during the hottest part of the day.
Remember that long road journeys, queues, outdoor events and pilgrimage travel can also expose children to heat for extended periods.
Children With Asthma, Allergies or Long-Term Conditions
If your child has asthma, severe allergies, diabetes, epilepsy, eczema, a weakened immune system or another long-term condition, discuss the travel plan early with the healthcare professionals involved in their care.
Make sure you have an up-to-date action plan where relevant, adequate supplies of prescribed medicines and a clear idea of where to seek medical help at the destination.
Travelling With Children’s Medicines
Keep regular medicines in their original packaging where possible and carry prescription information or a medication list when appropriate. Check destination rules if the child takes a controlled or restricted medicine.
Pack enough essential medicine for the planned trip and consider reasonable extra supply in case of travel delays. Medicines should be stored according to their instructions, especially if they need temperature control.
Visiting Friends and Relatives Abroad
Children visiting friends and relatives may stay for longer, eat local food regularly, visit rural areas and travel beyond the main tourist routes. Familiarity with the destination does not remove health risks.
GOV.UK advises travellers visiting friends and relatives to check routine childhood vaccines, arrange destination-specific travel-health advice and make sure they have appropriate travel insurance.
School Trips, Sports Teams and Group Travel
For school trips, sports tours, youth groups or faith-based travel, parents should confirm who holds the child’s medical information, how regular and emergency medicines will be managed, what insurance is in place and how medical care will be accessed if the child becomes unwell.
If the organiser provides a health form, vaccine requirement or destination checklist, take that information to the pre-travel appointment.
Travel Insurance for Children
GOV.UK recommends arranging appropriate travel insurance before travelling abroad. Check that the policy covers the child, the full journey, any existing medical conditions, planned activities, emergency treatment and medical repatriation.
If travelling to a destination where the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advises against all or all but essential travel, check carefully whether this affects insurance cover.
What to Pack in a Child Travel Health Kit
Depending on the child and destination, a practical kit may include:
- Regular prescribed medicines
- Copies of prescriptions or a medication list
- Oral rehydration sachets
- A thermometer
- Basic first-aid supplies
- Age-appropriate pain relief
- Insect repellent
- Sunscreen and sun protection
- Any prescribed emergency medicines such as inhalers or adrenaline auto-injectors
What to Bring to a Children’s Travel-Health Appointment
Bring as much of the following information as possible:
- The child’s full itinerary, including stopovers
- Departure and return dates
- Previous vaccination records
- Age and approximate weight
- Regular medicines
- Allergies and previous vaccine reactions
- Relevant medical conditions
- Details of rural travel, animal contact, pilgrimage, school travel or planned activities
For more on preparing an itinerary, see Why Your Travel Itinerary Matters for Vaccination Advice.
When to Seek Medical Help Abroad
Seek urgent medical help if a child has breathing difficulty, a severe allergic reaction, signs of severe dehydration, persistent vomiting, blood in the stool, a serious animal bite, seizures, confusion, severe drowsiness, a rapidly worsening illness or any other symptom that causes serious concern.
Before travel, save the emergency number for your destination and keep your insurer’s emergency assistance details easily accessible.
Travel Health Advice for Children at Biscot Pharmacy
If you are preparing to travel abroad with a child, Biscot Pharmacy can review the destination, itinerary, vaccination history and relevant health information before discussing which travel-health options may be appropriate.
For current service information, suitability details and booking options, visit our travel clinic in Luton.
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