Where can I get advice on travel vaccinations?
Your municipal health service, regional vaccination service or family doctor can give you advice on travel vaccinations. The baby and toddler clinic or your family doctor can advise you on travel vaccinations for your children. What vaccinations you need depend on where you are going and whether there is an elevated health risk in that area.
Asking the municipal health service for advice on travel vaccinations
One of the tasks of the municipal health services is to prevent and control infectious diseases. So every municipal health service has a vaccination service that can give you specialist advice when you are planning to travel abroad. Contact your municipal health service to make an appointment.
Advice on travel vaccinations for children
If you are planning to travel abroad with your children, ask your baby and toddler clinic, district nurse or family doctor whether your travel plans pose an additional risk to your children's health. They may suggest that your child get certain vaccinations under the national vaccination programme ahead of schedule.
Asking a vaccination service for advice on travel vaccinations
You can also ask a vaccination service in your area for advice on travel vaccinations. Their advice is based on the national guidelines drawn up by the National Travel Advice Coordination Centre (LCR). The addresses of vaccination services can be found on the LCR website (in Dutch only).
Asking your family doctor for advice on travel vaccinations
Some family doctors also give advice on travel vaccinations, based on the LCR guidelines. The addresses of family doctors offering travel vaccination advice can be found on the LCR website (in Dutch only).
Advice on diseases for which there are no vaccines
Vaccines exist for only a few of the diseases you can get in tropical countries. For instance, there are no vaccines for:
- malaria
- Zika
- Ebola
- dengue fever
- Legionnaires' disease
- Lyme disease
- dysentery
- parasitic worm infections
- sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
The LCR website gives detailed information about diseases that you can contract abroad and the preventive measures that you can take. Similar information is also available on the website of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).
Take vaccination certificates with you
You should take vaccination certificates with you when you travel to avoid unnecessary revaccination. Some countries - for example in Africa or Latin America - will even refuse to admit you without up-to-date certificates.