Hepatitis A Vaccine in London
Hepatitis A vaccination before you travel
Food and water risks are easy to underestimate when the rest of the trip looks straightforward. Hepatitis A can be caught from contaminated food, drink, ice, shellfish or poor hand hygiene, including on trips where the hotel looks perfectly decent. At City Of London Clinic in London, we assess your route, your timing and your previous vaccines, then advise whether a hepatitis A jab belongs on your pre-travel list.
Food and water risks are easy to underestimate when the rest of the trip looks straightforward. Hepatitis A can be caught from contaminated food, drink, ice, shellfish or poor hand hygiene, including on trips where the hotel looks perfectly decent. At City Of London Clinic in London, we assess your route, your timing and your previous vaccines, then advise whether a hepatitis A jab belongs on your pre-travel list.
Food, water and an inflamed liver
Hepatitis A is a viral infection that affects the liver. Travellers usually catch it by swallowing tiny amounts of human faecal contamination in food or water. That sounds dramatic, but the everyday routes are ordinary enough: salad washed in unsafe water, ice in drinks, raw or undercooked shellfish, or food handled by someone who has not washed their hands properly.
Symptoms do not usually appear straight away. The incubation period is commonly around four weeks, though it can range from about 15 to 50 days. Some people, especially young children, have few or no symptoms. Adults are more likely to feel properly unwell, with fever, nausea, loss of appetite, tiredness, abdominal discomfort and jaundice, where the skin or whites of the eyes turn yellow.
Most people recover, and hepatitis A does not usually cause long-term liver disease. It can still ruin a trip, delay work, and occasionally cause severe illness, particularly in older adults or people who already have liver disease.
Hepatitis A is a viral infection that affects the liver. Travellers usually catch it by swallowing tiny amounts of human faecal contamination in food or water. That sounds dramatic, but the everyday routes are ordinary enough: salad washed in unsafe water, ice in drinks, raw or undercooked shellfish, or food handled by someone who has not washed their hands properly.
Symptoms do not usually appear straight away. The incubation period is commonly around four weeks, though it can range from about 15 to 50 days. Some people, especially young children, have few or no symptoms. Adults are more likely to feel properly unwell, with fever, nausea, loss of appetite, tiredness, abdominal discomfort and jaundice, where the skin or whites of the eyes turn yellow.
Most people recover, and hepatitis A does not usually cause long-term liver disease. It can still ruin a trip, delay work, and occasionally cause severe illness, particularly in older adults or people who already have liver disease.
Hepatitis A is a viral infection that affects the liver. Travellers usually catch it by swallowing tiny amounts of human faecal contamination in food or water. That sounds dramatic, but the everyday routes are ordinary enough: salad washed in unsafe water, ice in drinks, raw or undercooked shellfish, or food handled by someone who has not washed their hands properly.
Symptoms do not usually appear straight away. The incubation period is commonly around four weeks, though it can range from about 15 to 50 days. Some people, especially young children, have few or no symptoms. Adults are more likely to feel properly unwell, with fever, nausea, loss of appetite, tiredness, abdominal discomfort and jaundice, where the skin or whites of the eyes turn yellow.
Most people recover, and hepatitis A does not usually cause long-term liver disease. It can still ruin a trip, delay work, and occasionally cause severe illness, particularly in older adults or people who already have liver disease.
What the hepatitis A vaccine does, and what it does not cover
The hepatitis A vaccine used in the UK is an inactivated vaccine. It cannot give you hepatitis A. It is given as an injection, usually into the upper arm, and is used to train the immune system to recognise the virus before exposure.
For many travellers, a single first dose is used before departure, with a second dose later to complete the course. For common single hepatitis A vaccines, that second dose is often due after 6 to 12 months, although exact schedules vary by product and age. Once the full course is completed, protection can last for many years. A further booster may be advised in the future if you remain at risk, commonly around the 25-year mark.
Children can usually be considered for hepatitis A vaccination from 1 year of age, but suitability is assessed in context. The vaccine may not be given if you are acutely feverish or have had a serious allergic reaction to a previous dose or ingredient.
Most side effects are short-lived: a sore arm, redness, swelling, headache, mild fever or feeling off-colour. The vaccine does not protect against hepatitis B, typhoid or travellers' diarrhoea unless you receive a relevant combined vaccine, and food and water hygiene still matters.
The hepatitis A vaccine used in the UK is an inactivated vaccine. It cannot give you hepatitis A. It is given as an injection, usually into the upper arm, and is used to train the immune system to recognise the virus before exposure.
For many travellers, a single first dose is used before departure, with a second dose later to complete the course. For common single hepatitis A vaccines, that second dose is often due after 6 to 12 months, although exact schedules vary by product and age. Once the full course is completed, protection can last for many years. A further booster may be advised in the future if you remain at risk, commonly around the 25-year mark.
Children can usually be considered for hepatitis A vaccination from 1 year of age, but suitability is assessed in context. The vaccine may not be given if you are acutely feverish or have had a serious allergic reaction to a previous dose or ingredient.
Most side effects are short-lived: a sore arm, redness, swelling, headache, mild fever or feeling off-colour. The vaccine does not protect against hepatitis B, typhoid or travellers' diarrhoea unless you receive a relevant combined vaccine, and food and water hygiene still matters.
The hepatitis A vaccine used in the UK is an inactivated vaccine. It cannot give you hepatitis A. It is given as an injection, usually into the upper arm, and is used to train the immune system to recognise the virus before exposure.
For many travellers, a single first dose is used before departure, with a second dose later to complete the course. For common single hepatitis A vaccines, that second dose is often due after 6 to 12 months, although exact schedules vary by product and age. Once the full course is completed, protection can last for many years. A further booster may be advised in the future if you remain at risk, commonly around the 25-year mark.
Children can usually be considered for hepatitis A vaccination from 1 year of age, but suitability is assessed in context. The vaccine may not be given if you are acutely feverish or have had a serious allergic reaction to a previous dose or ingredient.
Most side effects are short-lived: a sore arm, redness, swelling, headache, mild fever or feeling off-colour. The vaccine does not protect against hepatitis B, typhoid or travellers' diarrhoea unless you receive a relevant combined vaccine, and food and water hygiene still matters.
What the hepatitis A vaccine does, and what it does not cover
Hepatitis A vaccination is commonly advised for travel to places where the virus is more common or where food and water hygiene may be less reliable. That includes much of South Asia, such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, as well as parts of Africa, the Middle East, Central and South America, and Southeast Asia. Risk can also arise in some areas of Eastern Europe.
The recommendation is not based on a country name alone. Staying with family, eating locally, travelling for several weeks, backpacking, working in healthcare or humanitarian settings, or having limited access to safe water can all raise the relevance of vaccination. Hotel-based tourists are not automatically risk-free either. Hepatitis A has turned up in travellers who stayed in good accommodation.
Hepatitis A vaccination is commonly advised for travel to places where the virus is more common or where food and water hygiene may be less reliable. That includes much of South Asia, such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, as well as parts of Africa, the Middle East, Central and South America, and Southeast Asia. Risk can also arise in some areas of Eastern Europe.
The recommendation is not based on a country name alone. Staying with family, eating locally, travelling for several weeks, backpacking, working in healthcare or humanitarian settings, or having limited access to safe water can all raise the relevance of vaccination. Hotel-based tourists are not automatically risk-free either. Hepatitis A has turned up in travellers who stayed in good accommodation.
Hepatitis A vaccination is commonly advised for travel to places where the virus is more common or where food and water hygiene may be less reliable. That includes much of South Asia, such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, as well as parts of Africa, the Middle East, Central and South America, and Southeast Asia. Risk can also arise in some areas of Eastern Europe.
The recommendation is not based on a country name alone. Staying with family, eating locally, travelling for several weeks, backpacking, working in healthcare or humanitarian settings, or having limited access to safe water can all raise the relevance of vaccination. Hotel-based tourists are not automatically risk-free either. Hepatitis A has turned up in travellers who stayed in good accommodation.
Plan it while your dates are still useful
Hepatitis A vaccination is easier to fit in before the final rush of packing, visas and airport trains. If your departure is soon, it is still worth getting advice rather than assuming you have missed the window.
City Of London Clinic is on Goswell Road, close to Farringdon and Moorgate. Call 02072539691 or book an appointment for hepatitis A vaccine advice before you travel.
Hepatitis A vaccination is easier to fit in before the final rush of packing, visas and airport trains. If your departure is soon, it is still worth getting advice rather than assuming you have missed the window.
City Of London Clinic is on Goswell Road, close to Farringdon and Moorgate. Call 02072539691 or book an appointment for hepatitis A vaccine advice before you travel.
Hepatitis A vaccination is easier to fit in before the final rush of packing, visas and airport trains. If your departure is soon, it is still worth getting advice rather than assuming you have missed the window.
City Of London Clinic is on Goswell Road, close to Farringdon and Moorgate. Call 02072539691 or book an appointment for hepatitis A vaccine advice before you travel.
FAQ
Travel Health FAQs
Find clear answers to the most common travel health and malaria prevention questions.
Find clear answers to the most common travel health and malaria prevention questions.
How long before travel should I get the hepatitis A vaccine?
Try to book at least two weeks before departure if you can. That gives your immune system time to respond after the first dose. If you are leaving sooner, still arrange an appointment, as vaccination may still be recommended depending on your destination and health history.
Do I need hepatitis A vaccination for an all-inclusive resort?
Can children have the hepatitis A vaccine?
Can hepatitis A vaccine be given with other travel vaccines?
I had a hepatitis A jab years ago but missed the second dose. Do I need to restart?
How long before travel should I get the hepatitis A vaccine?
Try to book at least two weeks before departure if you can. That gives your immune system time to respond after the first dose. If you are leaving sooner, still arrange an appointment, as vaccination may still be recommended depending on your destination and health history.
Do I need hepatitis A vaccination for an all-inclusive resort?
Can children have the hepatitis A vaccine?
Can hepatitis A vaccine be given with other travel vaccines?
I had a hepatitis A jab years ago but missed the second dose. Do I need to restart?