Booked hol to Egypt - panicking as no vaccine! HELP!!!

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Apologies not AIBU but worried and need the traffic!

Yesterday, in a flurry of excitement due to a good deal, we booked a holiday to Egypt in 5 weeks time, with Tui. It’s to a 4+ star holiday village, all inclusive, we do not intend on leaving the complex.

Today it dawned on us about vaccines. Our GP practice can’t see us for a few weeks. There is no private vaccine clinic near us (not be within 40miles anyway) and it would cost us £240.

According to gov travel site Typhoid and Hep A are recommended. And 6 weeks in advance.

Now panicking because if we cancel we’ll lose 70% of the cost of the holiday. We can switch to another destination we think, but probably something not as good.

Im Googling like mad. The vaccines are suggested/recommended, not essential to travel.

What on earth do we do??!! We have a 9 year old daughter who has had all her usual childhood vaccines.

Have you been to Egypt? Did you get vaccinated? Am I worrying unduly? Argh!

I am a bit depressed by all the “I was fine” people. Yes most people will be fine but hep A is actually quite common. And I have seen a number of returned travellers with typhoid requiring admission to hospital.

You haven’t got much choice and will probably be fine but for anyone considering going overseas who does have the option PLEASE get vaccinated. If you are going to have the privilege of traveling overseas, do it responsibly!

I'm not in the UK but here they don't vaccinate against typhoid anymore for short-stay holidays as they deem the vaccine to not be that effective. However, as PP have said, practise good hygiene and avoid drinking the water etc.

Just be very careful about water and you’ll be fine. A far bigger risk is the heat. I’ve had heat stroke once in my life and it was in Egypt in August.

I've never had a single vaccination in my life and I have travelled to at least 20 countries.

Travelled all over and the only vaccine I have ever needed was yellow fever as that is an entry requirement for some places (not Egypt).

But this thread has made me wonder if people book holidays, and then expect the NHS to fund their vaccinations for it? Only as OP mentioned going to her GP. Would the GP charge you for them?

Boots did vaccinations for my parents when they went to India earlier in the year so worth trying there. I have been to Egypt and didn’t have any vaccinations done before going

You’ll be fine in a resort OP.

I was in a Tui 4* AI resort last year with my two kids And have previously done a Nile cruise. Absolutely no issue and no vaccines. Egypt's primary business is tourism, they look after you very well.

Both my and my husbands GP practice offer free vaccines for hep A and typhoid. I’ve looked at other practices around our county and they all seem to. It’s just that we’d have to wait a couple of weeks rendering the vaccine useless. We’d be happy to pay though, not trying to scam the NHS. We both have worked for the NHS for 20 years.

Yes this is concerning me I have to admit. I’ve had heat stroke a couple of times and it’s awful. We’ll be careful and won’t play in the midday sun.

I've been to Egypt and just came back from Turkey a month ago- never been vaccinated before going

I’ve been to Egypt 3 times I think and I didn’t even know there was a vaccine?
I have auto immune illnesses and have never been Ill whilst in Egypt.
(although I’ve never eaten a street vendor )

I’ve never been to Egypt but have been to Turkey quite a few times and have never had a vaccine for it and me and my family were all absolutely fine.

DTP = Diptheria, Tetanus, Polio. Not pertussis as some people are saying (in UK anyway).

I'm pro-vaccine and an anxious person, but wouldn't get worked up about this at all, they're not mandatory.

Can you get a list of your vaccinations from NHS? And maybe add them to the international vaccination card. That way next time it is easy to check what you've had.

For this trip, never been to Egypt but a lot if family has and they've never talked about vaccinations

Chill. You will all be fine.

If you want to know your vaccination status for everything you can have a blood test for antibodies, I had this once.

You are staying all inclusive in a complex, not travelling around the country. As pp said don't drink the water and no ice in drinks. The hotel will provide bottled water.

I have been to Egypt a lot of times for many years and never had any suggestion of a vaccination or been poorly. I will take your place if you don't want to go.

You should be more concerned about the heat. It will be hot, stay hydrated, depending on where you are staying you can lie in the shade while your drinks are brought to you. Take cool neck wraps, an insulated bottle, cos drinks heat up fast, wear a hat and enjoy.

Some vaccines which are routine can be got for free from the GP but some would have to be paid for privately. Eg Hep A is free but rabies is not.

I didn’t have vaccines but I’d never go again, we all got very sick with D&V, it’s one of the most common places to contract that.

No, it's not. DTP always means diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis.

There are vaccines that combine DTP with a polio vaccine (IPV) into a single injection and Td/IPV which drops pertussis from this quad vaccine (given the rise in whopping cough, I believe that use of this trivalent is being decreased in many areas to make sure that people are getting needed pertussis boosters). But if you say DTP, you mean the trivalent diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis.

I’ve been to Egypt several times (most recently last week) and the heat is the thing that you need to be most careful about. I grew up in North Africa and at this time of year you simply avoid the sun for several hours in the middle of the day. It really is that hot!

Definitely take Imodium and rehydration salts.

It's a pain but travel a bit further and get your vaccines if you are worried. Airports sometimes have clinics, I think.