Travel Immunisation in Point Cook

Planning a trip overseas? Travel immunisation is available at Juniper Avenue Medical Centre, and a GP can review your itinerary and health history to work out which vaccines and precautions make sense for where you are going.

Timing travel immunisation before departure

Around 6 to 8 weeks before you leave is a sensible time for a travel health consultation. Some vaccines need a course of two or three doses, and protection builds over the weeks that follow.

A last-minute trip is still worth a visit. One dose can give partial protection, and advice on food, water and insects is useful no matter how close the flight is.

Trips that call for a travel consultation

  • Travel to parts of Asia, Africa, the Pacific, South America or the Middle East
  • Visiting relatives overseas, where stays tend to be longer and meals are eaten in local homes
  • Backpacking, volunteering or spending time in rural and remote areas
  • Travelling while pregnant, with young children or in older age
  • Travelling with diabetes, heart or lung disease, or reduced immunity

Vaccines often discussed for overseas travel

Recommendations depend on the destination, the length of stay, planned activities and the vaccines you have already had. Not every traveller needs all of the following.

  • Hepatitis A and typhoid, which spread through contaminated food and water
  • Hepatitis B, for longer stays or where medical or dental treatment overseas is possible
  • Rabies, for people likely to be around dogs, bats or monkeys in countries where it occurs
  • Japanese encephalitis, for some rural parts of Asia and the Pacific
  • Routine vaccines such as tetanus, measles and influenza
  • Yellow fever, required for entry to some countries and given with an International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis, as explained on the Yellow Fever Vaccine page

Information to bring with you

Bring your travel dates, the countries and regions on your route, and any vaccination records or certificates. Mention the medicines you take, any allergies, and any pregnancy or plans to conceive, because live vaccines are not suitable during pregnancy or for people with a weakened immune system. The Australian Government’s Smartraveller website also lists health information for each country.

Travelling with a health condition

Regular medicines need some planning. Ask the doctor how much to pack, and consider a letter listing your conditions and medicines, which can help at customs or if you need care overseas. Keep medicines in their original packaging and in your hand luggage.

Travel insurance that covers existing conditions is strongly recommended, as medical treatment abroad can be very expensive. Malaria has no routine travel vaccine, so if your destination has malaria, prevention relies on avoiding mosquito bites and, for some trips, prescribed tablets.

Food, water, bites and animals

  • Drink bottled or treated water where tap water is unsafe, and skip ice made from untreated water
  • Choose food that is freshly cooked and served hot, and peel fruit yourself
  • Use insect repellent, wear long, loose clothing and sleep under a net where mosquito-borne diseases occur
  • Avoid touching or feeding animals, and wash any bite or scratch with soap and water for 15 minutes before seeking care
  • Wash hands often, and carry hand sanitiser for when soap is not available

Getting sick after you return

See a doctor if you develop a fever, persistent diarrhoea, a rash or a cough after coming home. Some infections picked up overseas take weeks to show, so say where you travelled and when you got back, and mention any bites or medical treatment during the trip. For severe illness, call 000.

Fees and bulk billing

Childhood and adult immunisations are bulk billed with all our doctors. Some vaccines are not funded under the National Immunisation Program, so the vaccine itself may have a cost. See our fees page or call reception to check before your appointment.

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