PHA offers advice for people travelling to the World Cup

The Public Health Agency hopes that all supporters from Northern Ireland travelling to the World Cup will have a safe and enjoyable experience.  The Agency reminds travellers of the importance of getting good travel advice before travelling. It is particularly important that people going to the World Cup discuss their particular travel health requirements with their GP or travel clinic to ensure they are adequately protected, including being up to date with routine vaccinations, as well as any additional ones that may be appropriate. 

Key Messages for safe travel

• Obtain travel health insurance.
• Be safe – watch out for accidents, injuries and theft.
• Avoid unprotected sexual contact.
• Ensure you are up to date with the British Schedule of vaccination, including   measles, mumps and rubella (MMR).  Check to see if additional vaccinations (such as pandemic influenza vaccine) and malaria prevention are necessary.

(Source: National Travel Health Network and Centre)

Travellers to the World Cup should be aware of the specific risk from some infections in South Africa.

• The prevalence of HIV in South Africa remains high, with around 20 percent of South African adults between the ages of 15 and 49 infected.
• Rift Valley Fever, which can be transmitted to humans via mosquito bites, has been reported in South Africa. The risk of travellers catching this infection is low, but measures should still be taken to avoid being bitten.
• Malaria is not a risk for travellers to the host cities, but travellers intending to combine their trip with a safari, or with a visit to malaria risk regions in South Africa or other African countries, need to take appropriate malaria prevention measures before and during their travel.
• Rabies is also a risk in South Africa so travellers should avoid contact with animals and ensure that, if they get bitten, licked or scratched by an animal, they seek medical assistance as soon as possible.
• The most commonly reported travel associated infection is travellers diarrhoea and travellers to South Africa should therefore be mindful of food hygiene and to ensure that caution is exercised when choosing where and what to eat.

The Public Health Agency recommends travellers to consult the following sites for additional information:

• Health Protection Agency ( www.hpa.org.uk)
• Travax (travax.nhs.uk)
• NaTHNaC   (nathnac.org)

Remember - don’t score an own goal