Travel destination
Beaches, islands, street food and temples — and the UK's favourite long-haul trip. What you need depends on whether you're staying in resorts or heading rural.
For most Thailand trips a few core travel vaccines plus food, water and mosquito precautions cover it, but what you actually need depends on where you go, how long for and the season. Rural, island and long or adventurous trips add more to the conversation. We match the current TravelHealthPro advice to your exact itinerary at your appointment.
Thailand is one of the most common trips we plan for at South London Clinic, from Bangkok and the islands to the northern hills and border regions, and what you need depends on where you go and how you travel.
Hepatitis A and typhoid come up for most travellers, with rabies, hepatitis B and Japanese encephalitis for longer, rural or repeated trips. Your pharmacist matches the current advice to your itinerary.
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
Thailand may require a yellow fever certificate from travellers arriving from a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission — including some stopovers. There is no yellow fever risk in Thailand itself. 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.
For most trips to Thailand a short list of core vaccines, plus sensible food, water and mosquito habits, covers it — but "most trips" hides a lot of variation. A week in a Phuket resort is a very different risk picture from a month backpacking the north, island-hopping out of season, diving the Andaman coast, or volunteering somewhere rural. The genuinely useful question is not "what does Thailand need" but "what does your Thailand need", and that is exactly what a travel health consultation at South London Clinic is for. We look at your route, your history and your plans, and give you a clear, written recommendation rather than a generic country checklist.
Where you go, how long for, the time of year and what you'll be doing all move the risk. Bangkok and the main resort islands are lower risk than rural Isan, the far north near the Myanmar border, or the smaller islands in the rainy season. Longer stays, repeat visits, and staying with friends or family (rather than in hotels) all push the conversation further, because you eat, sleep and travel more like a local. Activities matter too: trekking, caving, cycling, motorbiking, diving and any close contact with animals each change the picture. Bring your rough plan — dates, regions and activities — and we build the advice around it.
Hepatitis A and typhoid come up for most travellers, because both spread through contaminated food and water and Thailand's street food scene is part of the appeal. Hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis and rabies come into the conversation for longer, more rural or repeated trips, or where your activities raise the risk. It is also worth checking that your routine UK cover — tetanus, diphtheria and polio, and MMR — is up to date, as these are easy to let lapse. None of this is a fixed prescription: your pharmacist confirms which actually apply to you, in what order, and how much time you have, at the appointment.
Dengue is present in Thailand year-round and rises sharply in and after the rainy season. There is no tablet or vaccine we would routinely give travellers to prevent it, so daytime bite avoidance — repellent, covered skin and good accommodation — is the main defence. Japanese encephalitis is a small but serious risk, mostly for longer rural, farming or wet-season stays, and there is a vaccine worth discussing for the right trips. Zika is also present; if you are pregnant or planning pregnancy, raise it early, as the advice is more cautious. We go through which of these actually apply to your trip.
Most tourist Thailand is low risk and antimalarial tablets are not usually advised for the main destinations. Risk is concentrated in some border and forested regions — particularly near the Myanmar and Cambodia frontiers — and the picture changes with the exact area and season. Drug-resistance patterns in this part of Asia also matter, which is why the choice is never one-size-fits-all. We check the current TravelHealthPro country advice against your itinerary and talk you through bite avoidance and, only where it is genuinely needed, the antimalarial options.
Most travellers' illness in Thailand is still the everyday kind: stomach upsets from food and water. Sticking to freshly cooked hot food, sealed drinks and good hand hygiene prevents most of it. Rabies deserves its own mention — it is present in dogs, the macaques around some temples and tourist spots, and bats. Any bite, scratch or lick from a mammal abroad should be washed thoroughly with soap and running water for several minutes and seen by a medical professional urgently, whether or not you had pre-travel doses. Pre-travel rabies cover buys you time and simplifies treatment; it does not replace it.
There is no yellow fever risk in Thailand itself, so you will not catch it there. However, Thailand can require a yellow fever certificate from travellers arriving from — or sometimes transiting through — a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission, so a stopover can matter. Entry and certificate rules change, and they depend on your exact routing, so we confirm the current requirements for your specific itinerary at your appointment rather than relying on last year's advice.
Ideally see us six to eight weeks before you travel, because some vaccines are given as a course over several weeks — a rabies course alone runs over about three to four weeks. That lead time lets us start any courses, space doses correctly and check your routine cover. Travelling sooner than that? Book anyway. There is almost always still something worth doing, and getting the cover we can is better than none.
Which vaccines do I need for Thailand? For most travellers the conversation starts with hepatitis A and typhoid, plus a check of your routine UK vaccines. Longer, rural or activity-heavy trips add hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis and rabies to the discussion. Your pharmacist confirms the exact list for your trip.
Do I need malaria tablets for Thailand? Usually not for the main tourist areas, which are low risk. Some border and forested regions do carry risk, so it depends on exactly where and when you are going — we check the current advice against your route.
How far in advance should I book? Six to eight weeks is ideal, especially if a course like rabies is involved. Last-minute travellers are still worth seeing.
Is there a yellow fever risk in Thailand? No — but a certificate can be required if you are arriving from a yellow-fever-risk country, including some stopovers.
At South London Clinic in South London we go through your itinerary, your health history and what you have already had, then give you a clear plan you can act on. Book a travel appointment online, or call the team on 020 75826344.
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 registerFor most travellers the conversation starts with hepatitis A and typhoid, plus a check of your routine UK vaccines. Longer, rural or activity-heavy trips add hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis and rabies. Your pharmacist at South London Clinic confirms the exact list.
Usually not for the main tourist areas, which are low risk. Some border and forested regions do carry risk, so it depends on exactly where and when you are going.
No, but a certificate can be required if you are arriving from a yellow-fever-risk country, including some stopovers.
Six to eight weeks is ideal, especially if a course like rabies is involved. Last-minute travellers are still worth seeing.
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