South Asia
India travel vaccinations
India isn't one destination, and the advice reflects that. Hepatitis A, typhoid and an in-date tetanus booster are recommended for most travellers whatever the itinerary. After that it depends on where you're going, how long for, and whether you're staying with family.
- Consultation with a pharmacist
- GPhC premises 9011598
- Ewell, Epsom
Recommendations depend on your itinerary, health history and current guidance.
What the guidance says
Vaccines for India
Two things catch people out. Malaria tablets are only recommended for three states, Mizoram, Odisha and Tripura, and everywhere else, Goa and the Andamans included, is low risk where bite avoidance does the work. And rabies deserves more thought here than on most trips, because dogs are everywhere, treatment can be hard to reach and the immunoglobulin used after a bite is in short supply.
11 vaccines the guidance mentions for India, 9 of them given here. Which apply to you is settled at your consultation.
Recommended for most travellers
It spreads through contaminated food and water, and a good hotel doesn't remove the risk.
- Timing
- No minimum notice. Protection develops within about two weeks, and a dose on the day you fly is still worth having.
- Protection
- One dose protects for up to 12 months. A second dose at 6 to 12 months takes that to about 25 years, with a booster at 25 years for anyone still at risk.
If it was more than ten years ago and you'll be anywhere medical care is limited, a booster is recommended.
- Timing
- One injection, effective quickly in anyone previously vaccinated.
- Protection
- The full UK course is five doses, which gives most people lifelong protection. Travel boosters top up tetanus, diphtheria and polio for around ten years.
Drug-resistant strains are a growing concern across South Asia, so food and water care still matters after vaccination.
- Timing
- At least 2 weeks before travel. A dose closer to departure can still be considered, and we'll explain the limits.
- Protection
- Protection lasts about three years. It isn't fully protective, and it doesn't cover paratyphoid, so food and water care still matters.
For some travellers, depending on the trip
Vaccination may be considered from age 12 for people travelling to an outbreak area, or travelling there often or long-term. There are two vaccines with different eligibility, so a clinical assessment always comes first. Daytime bite avoidance is the main protection.
- Timing
- IXCHIQ must be given at least 30 days before travel. Vimkunya has no fixed minimum, but earlier is better.
- Protection
- Both vaccines are a single dose. Most people make protective antibodies within about three weeks, and the immune response starts to build within a week. The need for a booster hasn't been established.
The oral vaccine is aimed at aid workers and anyone heading to an outbreak area with limited access to clean water and medical care.
- Timing
- Course should be completed at least a week before travel.
- Protection
- Risk for most travellers is low; the vaccine is aimed at specific groups.
Vaccination is only considered in specific cases, usually for people who've had dengue before, so daytime bite avoidance is the main protection.
Not given at Miles Pharmacy; referred on after assessment.
- Timing
- Two doses three months apart, so it needs planning well ahead.
- Protection
- Considered mainly for people who've had dengue before.
- Timing
- The very rapid schedule gives protection within about three weeks for adults. Other schedules take one to two months to protect.
- Protection
- Around 90% of adults respond. After a complete course, healthy people don't need a booster: protection against chronic infection lasts 20 to 30 years or more.
It's considered for stays of a month or more during the season, frequent trips, uncertain plans, or shorter trips with rural exposure such as rice fields and pig farms.
- Timing
- The course must finish at least a week before possible exposure: about five weeks on the standard schedule, two weeks on the accelerated one.
- Protection
- Protection begins 7 days after the second dose. One dose is not enough. First booster at 12 to 24 months for ongoing risk, or at 12 months for people living in a risk area.
Make sure you've had two doses of MMR. Babies from six months old who'll be mixing with local people can have an early dose.
- Timing
- Two doses at least a month apart; the second can be brought forward for travel.
- Protection
- Two doses give long-lasting protection. A dose given before 12 months doesn't count towards the two.
Vaccination before travel is recommended for stays over a month, cycling or running, work with animals, and anywhere treatment would be hard to reach. It doesn't replace urgent care after a bite, but it simplifies that treatment and removes the need for immunoglobulin, which is scarce. Falsified rabies vaccine was reported in India in 2025, which is another reason to be covered before you go. Children are at higher risk.
- Timing
- Standard course 21 to 28 days; accelerated course 7 days.
- Protection
- A full course primes your immune system, so if you are bitten you need fewer doses of treatment and usually no immunoglobulin. It never removes the need for urgent treatment after a bite.
Not given at Miles Pharmacy; referred on after assessment.
- Timing
- A tuberculin skin test is needed first from 6 years of age.
- Protection
- Given once; no boosters.
the guidance mentions that are not usually part of a trip like this.
A starting point, not a quote. Course prices assume every dose is given here, and some courses need more than one visit, so the timings matter as much as the totals.
Malaria and certificates
Where the risk actually is
Malaria tablets are recommended for three states: Mizoram, Odisha and Tripura. Across the rest of India, including Goa and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, risk is low, and the advice is awareness and bite avoidance rather than tablets. There's no malaria in the Lakshadweep islands. Tablets may still be considered in the low-risk areas for people at higher risk, such as long stays visiting family, pregnancy, travellers over 70, young children, or anyone with a weakened immune system or without a working spleen. Where tablets are recommended, atovaquone/proguanil, doxycycline and mefloquine are all options, and they start and finish at different times, so we'll go through the timings with you.
Yellow fever certificate. You won't need a yellow fever certificate flying from the UK. India requires one from travellers aged 9 months and over who arrive within six days of leaving a country with yellow fever risk, and time spent in transit there can count. Anyone who arrives in that position without a certificate can be held in isolation for up to six days, so if your route touches Africa or South America, check the requirement before you book. Miles Pharmacy is a registered Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre. The certificate becomes valid 10 days after vaccination and lasts for life. About the yellow fever vaccine
Polio certificate. There's no polio risk in India, but proof of polio vaccination is sometimes asked for depending on where you're arriving from. Your tetanus, diphtheria and polio booster covers this.
- Tablets recommended Mizoram, Odisha, Tripura
- No malaria risk Lakshadweep islands
- Low risk the rest of India, including Goa and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Worth knowing
Beyond the vaccines
Not everything worth knowing has a vaccine. These are the rest: what the guidance says to prepare for, and the notices it has issued in the last three months.
- Altitude
- Plenty of Indian itineraries climb higher than people expect. Leh sits at 3,514 metres and Darjeeling at 2,127 metres. Above 2,500 metres, go up gradually, allow rest days and be ready to descend if symptoms start.
- Air quality
- Air quality in Delhi and much of the north is poor from late autumn into winter. If you have a heart or lung condition, plan around it and bring enough of your usual medication.
- Zika
- Zika is present in India. If you're pregnant or planning a pregnancy, talk to us before you travel, as there's specific guidance on avoiding conception after your trip.
- Insect bites
- Mosquitoes and ticks in South Asia also spread dengue, chikungunya, Zika, JE, scrub typhus, leishmaniasis, West Nile and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever. None of those have a travel vaccine here, so repellent, covered skin and screened or air-conditioned rooms matter day and night.
- Food and water
- Food and water hygiene does more work than any single vaccine. Stick to bottled or treated water, skip ice from unknown sources, and eat food that's freshly cooked and served hot.
- Sexual health
- Condoms are the most effective protection against sexually transmitted infections, and hepatitis B vaccination is worth discussing if there's any chance of new partners.
Before you book
Questions about India
Answered by the pharmacist who signs this page off.
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For most trips, hepatitis A, typhoid and an in-date tetanus, diphtheria and polio booster. Hepatitis B, rabies and Japanese encephalitis come in depending on where you're going, how long you're staying and what you'll be doing. We'll go through your itinerary and only recommend what fits it.
Samit Patel Superintendent Pharmacist Reviewed 2026-09-17 -
Only for Mizoram, Odisha and Tripura, where tablets are recommended. The rest of India, including Goa and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, is low risk, where the advice is bite avoidance rather than tablets. If you're at higher risk, for example staying with family for a long trip, pregnant, over 70 or immunosuppressed, we may still suggest them.
Samit Patel Superintendent Pharmacist Reviewed 2026-09-17 -
It's recommended if you're staying more than a month, cycling or running, working with animals, or travelling anywhere treatment would be hard to reach. Children are at higher risk because they're less likely to report a bite or scratch. The course is three doses over 28 days, so it needs planning. Vaccinated or not, any bite, scratch or lick needs the wound washed and urgent local medical care.
Samit Patel Superintendent Pharmacist Reviewed 2026-09-17 -
Not if you're flying from the UK. You will if you're arriving within six days of leaving a country with yellow fever risk, and transit time there can count. Without a certificate, travellers in that position can be held in isolation for up to six days, so check your routing early.
Samit Patel Superintendent Pharmacist Reviewed 2026-09-17 -
Ideally four to six weeks before you fly, especially if rabies or Japanese encephalitis are on the list, as both are multi-dose courses. If you're travelling sooner, an appointment is still worthwhile, as some protection is better than none.
Samit Patel Superintendent Pharmacist Reviewed 2026-09-17 -
For a first trip to Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, the usual starting point is £254 for hepatitis A, typhoid and a tetanus booster. Rabies, hepatitis B and Japanese encephalitis add more if your itinerary calls for them. We'll confirm what's recommended before you pay for anything.
Samit Patel Superintendent Pharmacist Reviewed 2026-09-17
NaTHNaC Registered Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre
A Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre on the NaTHNaC register, and the same travel clinic that gives your other vaccinations.
GPhC registered premises
9011598
Private and NHS pharmacy services from one registered pharmacy in Ewell, Epsom.
Find the pharmacy
Where to come, and when
Ewell, Epsom, Surrey KT19 9UR
How to get here Parking, trains, buses and step-free access
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The door is on Chessington Road, with step-free access
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The station car park, on Station Approach off Chessington Road
- Address Elizabeth Court, Station Approach, KT17 1DR
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Step-free to all platforms, by a footbridge with lifts
- Step-free to every platform (National Rail step-free category A)
- Lifts two, on the footbridge
Checked against nationalrail.co.uk
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Outside the pharmacy, with a stop on each side of Chessington Road
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Cycle parking at the station
Take this with you
Point your phone's camera at the code and this page opens there, with the directions one tap away.
Checked against NaTHNaC TravelHealthPro on . Entry requirements change: check TravelHealthPro and FCDO before you travel.
Travel health
Book before you pack.
Questions first? Call us on 020 8393 1000
- Private and NHS
- GPhC premises 9011598
- Open until 6:30pm
Prefer to talk? 020 8393 1000