Travel destination
Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai and beyond. Short city trips differ a lot from rural travel or a long work posting.
China is vast, so travel health depends entirely on your route. Cities are low risk; rural, long or western/southern trips add more. Hepatitis A and typhoid come up for most, with hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis and rabies for longer or rural stays. Malaria is limited to specific areas. We match advice to your itinerary.
China ranges from Beijing and Shanghai to rural Yunnan and the far west, and what you need varies hugely by route and season.
Your pharmacist matches the current advice to your exact trip at South London Clinic.
Vaccines
A starting point, not a prescription. What you actually need depends on where exactly you're going, what you'll be doing, how long for and what you've already had — a pharmacist confirms all of it at your appointment.
What to check before you fly
No vaccination certificate is routinely required for UK travellers going directly to China. Entry requirements change — we confirm the current rules for your exact itinerary at your appointment.
Bites, risk and tablets
Malaria risk changes by region, altitude and season, and depends on exactly where you are going and when. We check the current TravelHealthPro country advice against your itinerary at your appointment, and talk you through bite avoidance and, where it is needed, antimalarial tablets.
Give yourself enough time
Ideally see us six to eight weeks before you travel, as some vaccines are given as a course over several weeks. A rabies course runs over about three to four weeks, so start that one early. Travelling sooner than that? Book anyway — there is usually still something worth doing.
A business week in Beijing is a different risk picture from months in rural Yunnan, a Yangtze trip or the far west. Where you go, how long for and the season shape what you need, so we start from your itinerary at your South London Clinic consultation.
Hepatitis A and typhoid come up for most travellers because both spread through food and water. Hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis and rabies come in for longer, rural or repeated trips, and it is worth checking routine tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR cover; the NHS travel vaccination guidance is a useful base we tailor.
Japanese encephalitis is a consideration for longer rural or wet-season stays in central and southern China. Malaria risk is limited and focused on specific rural areas, mainly in the south and along some borders, rather than the cities; the TravelHealthPro China page sets out where, which we check. Dengue occurs in southern areas in the warmer months.
Rabies is present in China, so any bite, scratch or lick needs urgent care, and pre-travel doses are worth discussing for longer or rural trips.
Six to eight weeks ahead where possible, as some courses run over weeks.
Q: Which vaccines for China?
A: Hepatitis A and typhoid for most, with hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis and rabies for longer or rural trips.
Q: Do I need malaria tablets for China?
A: Only for specific rural areas, mainly the south and some borders. We check your route.
Q: Is rabies a risk in China?
A: Yes, so any animal bite needs urgent care.
Who you'll see
Superintendent Pharmacist & Independent Prescriber
Rafay has been a pharmacist for more than 12 years and runs the travel clinic at Hills Pharmacy. He'll go through where you're going, what you'll be doing and what you've already had, then explain in plain language what's worth having for your trip and what isn't.
GPhC registration 2240995
Hills Pharmacy, 99 Kennington Lane, Kennington, South London SE11 4HQ — GPhC premises 1093041 (Marlborough UK Limited)
Check on the GPhC registerHepatitis A and typhoid for most travellers, with hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis and rabies for longer, rural or repeated trips, plus a check of routine UK vaccines. Your pharmacist at South London Clinic tailors it.
Only for specific rural areas, mainly the south and along some borders, not the cities. We check the current TravelHealthPro advice against your route.
Yes. Rabies is present, so any bite, scratch or lick needs urgent care, and pre-travel doses are worth discussing for longer or rural trips.
Ideally six to eight weeks, as some vaccine courses run over several weeks.
Book a travel appointment and a pharmacist will go through your itinerary with you — where you're going, what you'll be doing and what you've already had — then tell you what's worth having and what isn't.
Vaccines and antimalarial tablets are prescription only medicines. Suitability is assessed at your consultation — nothing is sold or supplied without it.
Book an appointment
Appointments are with a pharmacist at Hills Pharmacy, 99 Kennington Lane — free parking nearby.
What to bring: a list of any medicines you take, and any records that are relevant to what you're coming in for.
Book an appointmentSouth London Clinic at Hills Pharmacy, 99 Kennington Lane, Kennington, South London, Lambeth, SE11 4HQ · Free parking nearby
Bookings for this clinic are taken by phone and email. Give us a call during opening hours and we'll go through the times that are free.
Opening hours
Appointments are subject to availability. If you are travelling, call as early as you can — some travel vaccines need a course started in advance.
Where to find us
The clinic is inside Hills Pharmacy on High Street. Come in through the shop and tell the counter you're here for an appointment.
Address
South London Travel Clinic at Hills Pharmacy99 Kennington LaneOpening hours
Clinic appointments run within these hours. Bank holiday hours can differ — please call before travelling in.
South London Travel Clinic at Hills Pharmacy, 99 Kennington Lane, Kennington, Lambeth, SE11 4HQ