Travel vaccinations for India — a London pharmacist-led guide
India is one of the most common travel destinations from London — visits to family in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata or Chennai, business trips to Bengaluru and Hyderabad, tourist trips to Kerala, Goa, Rajasthan, the hill stations, the Northeast and the Himalayas. The vaccination plan depends on where you're going, how long you're staying, and what you're doing.
At City Of London Clinic we operate from Barbican Pharmacy & Clinic on Goswell Road, an Elizabeth Line journey from East London's South Asian diaspora communities (closest area page: Whitechapel) and walking distance from every City office. Every appointment is led by Asad Repon, a GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber.
VFR travel — a different risk profile
Travel medicine has a category called VFR — Visiting Friends and Relatives. VFR travellers (mostly people of South Asian descent travelling back to family in India) typically have higher infection risk than tourists because they stay in family homes (more local food and water exposure), travel into rural areas, spend longer in-country, and bring children who may not be fully vaccinated to UK standards. We see a high volume of VFR patients from East London and recognise this risk profile.
Vaccines most often discussed for India
- Hepatitis A — almost universally recommended. Single dose gives a year of protection; a booster at 6-12 months extends to 25+ years. The water-borne risk is high enough that even short trips warrant the vaccine.
- Typhoid — strongly recommended for most India trips, especially if you're staying in family homes or eating local food. Single injection, three years' protection.
- Hepatitis B — for longer stays, anyone with potential bodily-fluid exposure (healthcare workers, longer-stay travellers, anyone considering medical or dental treatment in India). Three-dose course.
- Rabies — three-dose pre-exposure course strongly recommended for rural travel, children, anyone cycling or trekking. India has the highest dog-mediated rabies mortality globally.
- Japanese Encephalitis — for rural Asia trips of a month or more, especially during monsoon (May-October). Most relevant for Northeast India, parts of West Bengal, rural Uttar Pradesh.
- Cholera — for travel during outbreaks or to flood-affected areas. Two-dose oral course.
- Meningitis ACWY — if your trip includes Hajj or Umrah via Saudi Arabia.
We also discuss malaria prophylaxis where appropriate — region- and season-specific, not blanket recommended for all of India.
Vaccines most travellers DON'T need
- Yellow Fever — India does not have endemic Yellow Fever. The vaccine is only required if you're entering India from a Yellow Fever endemic country (e.g. coming from Kenya via a Nairobi connection).
Children and family appointments
For families travelling together, we book one slot per person and run them back-to-back. Children's records are reviewed against the UK childhood immunisation schedule first — often less is needed than parents expect, especially for kids who are up to date on routine school-age vaccinations.
Two specific things to discuss for children: (1) Rabies pre-exposure — children are at higher risk of unrecognised exposure to street dogs. (2) Catch-up vaccinations — some UK-born children of South Asian families benefit from BCG (TB protection) if travelling extensively in India or visiting family in TB-endemic areas.
Hajj / Umrah connections
For Muslim travellers combining India with Saudi pilgrimage (Hajj or Umrah), Meningitis ACWY is required by Saudi authorities. We provide the vaccine and the certificate required for entry.
How to book
Call 020 7253 9691 or visit cityoflondonclinic.co.uk/booking. Plan 2-6 weeks before departure for the full course. Same-day first doses routinely available with 2 hours' notice. We're at 36 Goswell Rd., Golden Lane Estate, London EC1M 7AA — 4 minutes from Barbican station, Elizabeth Line from Whitechapel and Stratford.
