Depending on where you go on holiday, you may need to get vaccinations before you travel. The most common travel jabs include those for cholera, diphtheria, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, and meningococcal meningitis.

It is important to find out which jabs you need before leaving. Be sure to check out the terms and exclusions, which make up your travel insurance policy, for high risk countries. Plus, when you compare travel insurance, find out about the need for vaccinations in order to make claims.

Cholera is found in parts of Afria, India, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Haiti, and some parts of Central America. Most people don’t have to get this vaccine unless they will be functioning as aid workers in high risk areas, or if they will be backpacking to remote parts of at-risk countries where they will not have access to medical care.

Diphtheria jabs are recommended for those traveling to sub-Saharan Africa, or parts of Southeast Asia and South America, if they have not been vaccinated (or fully vaccinated) before, or if it’s been 10 years or more since their last diphtheria vaccine. Hepatitis A vaccine is recommended for anyone staying for a prolonged period in high risk areas like India, sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, the Far East, and Central and South America.

The risk of hepatitis B is generally low for travellers unless they have unprotected sex, get injections/tattoos, or body piercings.

Vaccination against Japanese encephalitis is recommended for those who will be spending extended times in tropical northeast Australia, China, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, India, Nepal, Philippines, Korea, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia.

Those staying for long periods in parts of Africa and Saudi Arabia may need to be vaccinated against meningococcal meningitis groups A, C, Y, and W135. Those attending the Hajj or Umrah pilgrimages to Mecca in Saudi Arabia require proof of these vaccinations.

Insure that you have any required vaccinations before travelling abroad. Not only could you put your health at risk without them, but you could invalidate your travel insurance cover, which can be of great help should you require medical treatment while on holiday.