Which injections do travellers need, to protect them against meningitis, hepatitis, diphtheria, and other diseases? Raisingkids.co.uk's medical expert, Dr Malcolm McKenzie, suggests some sensible health precautions.

Raisingkids member's problem
My eldest son is having a year off before university, and about to go travelling for 6 months. Does he need any injections - and if so, which ones?

Dr McKenzie's advice
Any jabs he might need would depend on his destination, and on which immunisations he has had already. Once he has finalised his travel plans, he can make an appointment with his GP, tell him/her which countries he is planning to visit and get some specific advice. Until he knows his itinerary though, here are some general pointers.

If your son hasn't had boosters against diphtheria, polio and tetanus, this is the perfect opportunity to get him these important injections. If he's travelling to places where sanitation might be less than perfect, I'd also recommend he gets hepatitis A and typhoid.

If he is travelling to a country where malaria is a problem, in addition to trying to avoid mosquitoes and mosquito bites, using repellent sprays and sleeping under a mosquito net, he should buy some anti-malarial medicines. In certain regions, some malarial parasites have begun to build up immunities to anti-malarial medicines; however, your GP ought to be able to find out which medicines they are, and advise on the correct ones for specific destinations. If needed, remember that prophylaxis must be taken for several weeks before and after travel, and never confers complete protection.

Your son may also need a jab for yellow fever if he is travelling to an infected area.

In certain countries - rural areas of Japan, for example - he may need inoculation for other diseases, such as meningitis, tick-bourne encephalitis, and hepatitis B, but your GP should be able to advise whether any of these are necessary for your son's destination.