Travel service
Information on travel immunisation and fear of flying.
Immunisation
Before travelling, it is important to confirm whether you need any vaccinations or other travel health precautions.
Student Health Service provides:
- travel assessments
- NHS‑funded travel vaccinations
- advice on any private vaccinations you may need
- signposting to appropriate providers.
To arrange a travel assessment, contact us at least six weeks before your departure date. If your travel date is less than six weeks away, we will not be able to complete the assessment in time and will direct you to a private travel clinic.
Reception will send you a Pre‑Travel Assessment Form, which will be reviewed by our trained travel nurse. Following this review, you will receive travel health advice and confirmation of whether any vaccinations that you need. If you do need vaccinations, you will be invited to attend for immunisation within an appropriate timeframe before your travel.
Immunisation charges for travel
Some immunisations are free of charge on the NHS, others have a fee.
| Disease | Cost |
|---|---|
|
Diphtheria, Tetanus, Hepatitis A, Polio, Typhoid, MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) |
Free |
|
Cholera |
Available on NHS prescription for certain types of travellers as per recommendations on the Travel Health Pro website. |
|
GP signature for medicals |
From £18 depending on the type of report needed |
|
Malaria |
The travel nurse will advise if there is a risk of Malaria in your travel destination/s. Antimalarials can be purchased from pharmacys and do not require a prescription from your GP. If the nurse has advised antimalarials, please discuss this with your local pharmacy’. |
|
Travellers’ diarrhoea - antibiotics |
It is cheaper to buy these from a private travel clinic than to obtain them from SHS as they need to be issued on a private prescription> This means you have to pay a £15 prescription charge plus the price of the tablets from the pharmacy. |
|
Altitude sickness - acetazolamide (diamox) |
This is an unlicensed medication in England, so not prescribed at SHS, however private travel clinics sell it within their clinic. |
|
Private vaccinations, such as at Rabies, Yellow fever, Japanese Encephalitis, Tick-Borne Encephalitis |
These cannot be obtained at Student Health Services. The travel nurse will advise if these vaccinations are recommended for your planned travel and direct you to a local private travel provider. Fees are dependant on the provider. |
Further information on travel and immunisation
Fear of flying
The University of Bristol Students' Health Service does not prescribe sedatives for fear of flying. This policy decision has been made by the GP partners and is adhered to by all prescribers working in the practice.
The reasons we do not prescribe sedatives such as diazepam for fear of flying are:
Impaired ability to react to an emergency
Diazepam is a sedative, which means it makes you sleepy and more relaxed. If there is an emergency during the flight it may impair your ability to concentrate, follow instructions and react to the situation. This could have serious safety consequences for you and those around you.
Increased risk of blood clot
Sedative drugs can make you fall asleep, however when you do sleep it is an unnatural non-REM sleep. This means you won’t move around as much as during natural sleep. This puts you at increased risk of developing a blood clot (DVT) in the leg or even the lung. Blood clots are very dangerous and can even prove fatal. This risk is greater if your flight is longer than four hours.
Risk of agitation and aggression
Whilst most people find benzodiazepines like diazepam sedating, a small number have paradoxical agitation and aggression. They can also cause disinhibition and lead you to behave in a way that you would not normally. This could impact on your safety as well as that of other passengers and could also get you into trouble with the law.
Legality and drug testing
According to the prescribing guidelines doctors follow (BNF) Benzodiazepines are contraindicated (not allowed) in phobia. Your doctor is taking a significant legal risk by prescribing against these guidelines. They are only licensed short term for a crisis in generalised anxiety. If this is the case, you should be getting proper care and support for your mental health and not going on a flight.
Diazepam and similar drugs are also illegal in a number of countries. They may be confiscated or you may find yourself in trouble with the police.
Diazepam stays in your system for quite a while. If your job requires you to submit to random drug testing you may fail this having taken diazepam.
Alternatives
We appreciate that fear of flying is very real and very frightening. A much better approach is to tackle this properly with a fear of flying course organised and run by airlines. Some of these courses can be completed online.
- EasyJet's fear of flying course
- British Airways' flying with confidence course
- Virgin Atlantic's flying without fear course
In certain circumstances we may be able to prescribe a B Blocker called propranolol. This may help to reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety. However its use will depend on your medical history and we do not prescribe in those who have asthma.