Travel vaccination
Tetanus, Diphtheria and Polio Booster in Epsom
This is the booster most UK travellers are actually due, and the one most people are vague about. The UK childhood course is five doses in total, which gives most people lifelong protection against tetanus, diphtheria and polio. A travel booster is for the situations where that isn't enough.
- Registered Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre
- GPhC premises 9011598
Recommendations depend on your itinerary, health history and current guidance.
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.
In short
A tetanus, diphtheria and polio booster is one injection, £45 at Miles Pharmacy in Epsom. Most fully vaccinated adults only need one if their last dose was over ten years ago and they're heading somewhere medical care is limited.
- Lasts
- Around ten years for travel purposes
- Licensed from
- Age 6 as a booster after a primary course
- Price
- £45 one dose
Is a booster right for you?
Many fully vaccinated adults are already covered, so we check your history before recommending a booster.
- If you had the full UK course
- Five doses of a tetanus-containing vaccine, three as a baby and two boosters in childhood and the teenage years, is considered lifelong protection for most people in the UK.
- When a travel booster is advised
- If your last dose was more than ten years ago and you're travelling somewhere medical care may be limited, particularly if a tetanus-prone injury would be hard to treat. On hiking and camping trips in the forests and grassland of central, northern and eastern Europe, ask about tick-borne encephalitis vaccination too.
- If your history is incomplete or unknown
- People who missed doses, or who grew up in a country with a different schedule, may need a full course of three doses a month apart rather than a single booster.
- Polio for specific routes
- Stays of four weeks or more in a country with circulating poliovirus can trigger an exit certificate requirement, and the polio component here is what satisfies it.
- It doesn't cover whooping cough
- If a university, employer or visa form asks for Tdap or pertussis, this booster won't be accepted. You need the pertussis-containing version instead.
- A recent dose
- If you've had a tetanus-containing vaccine in the last five years, including the whooping cough vaccine given in pregnancy, another isn't usually needed. Tell us and we'll check.
Work it out
Are you actually due one?
Three questions about your history and your trip. It'll also tell you if you're probably already covered.
This works out an answer in your browser. With JavaScript off, the sections on this page say the same thing: when a travel booster is advised, when a three-dose course is, and why most fully vaccinated adults are covered for life.
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- Doses in the full UK course
- 5
- Years before a travel booster is considered
- 10
- Rules last checked
- 25 September 2026
This is a guide, not a clinical assessment. We check your records at the appointment.
What the three diseases actually are
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Tetanus
Bacteria from soil and manure entering through a wound, producing a toxin that causes severe muscle spasms, including lockjaw. It doesn't pass between people, so there's no herd protection: your own vaccination is what protects you. Any dirty or deep wound abroad is a reason to seek care.
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Diphtheria
A throat infection that can obstruct breathing and damage the heart and nerves. Rare in the UK, but it still occurs where vaccination coverage is lower, and cases have been reported in crowded living conditions in Europe.
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Polio
A virus that can cause permanent paralysis. Wild poliovirus still circulates in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and variant strains have been detected in a number of other countries, which is why polio is still on the list.
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Work it out for your trip
Are you actually due one?
The polio exit certificate
- When it applies
- Some countries with circulating poliovirus ask travellers staying four weeks or more to show proof of polio vaccination when they leave.
- The timing rule
- The dose needs to be given between four weeks and twelve months before you leave that country, and recorded on an International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis.
- What this booster does
- It contains the polio component, so a dose here can satisfy that requirement, and we'll record it for you.
- Check your route
- The list of affected countries changes. Our Pakistan guide covers the rule in detail, and we check the current position for your destination at the appointment.
Your tetanus jab in Epsom
- One injection
- Given into the upper arm, licensed from age 6 as a booster after a primary course.
- How long it lasts
- Around ten years for travel purposes.
- If you've never been vaccinated
- Three doses a month apart, rather than a single booster. We'll work out which applies from your records.
- With other vaccines
- It can be given at the same appointment as any other travel vaccine, such as hepatitis A or typhoid.
- Children under 6
- They follow the childhood schedule instead, including the pre-school booster.
What it costs
Price
| Vaccine | What that covers | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Tetanus, diphtheria and polio | Single dose | £45 |
One price, paid when you book.
Cut yourself abroad?
Injured here in the UK? For a deep or dirty wound, or one from an animal or a rusty object, call NHS 111 or go to A&E. That's urgent care, not something to book with us.
Clean it thoroughly. Wash the wound thoroughly with clean water, and get medical attention for anything deep, dirty, or caused by an animal or a rusty object.
Don't wait to get home. Tetanus-prone wounds may need treatment on the spot, sometimes including immunoglobulin as well as a vaccine dose. That's urgent care, not something to book.
When you're back. Tell your GP what treatment you had abroad so your records are up to date.
Safety
Safety and side effects
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Common
A sore, red or swollen arm, and sometimes a headache, dizziness, nausea or a mild fever. These settle within a day or two.
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Who shouldn't have it
Anyone who's had a severe allergic reaction to a previous dose or an ingredient. Postpone if you're unwell with a fever.
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Pregnancy
It can be given when protection is needed without delay, such as after a tetanus-prone wound. From 16 weeks, the pertussis-containing vaccine offered in pregnancy also covers tetanus.
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Weakened immune system
Safe, though the response may be reduced.
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Work it out for your trip
Are you actually due one?
Your appointment
What the appointment involves
- Bring
- Any vaccination records, your travel dates and destinations, and any form that needs completing.
- What we check
- When your last tetanus-containing dose was, whether your primary course was completed, and whether you need this at all.
- What you leave with
- A dated record, and a certificate entry if you need one for a polio requirement.
Before you book
Questions about the tetanus, diphtheria and polio vaccine
Answered by the pharmacist who signs this page off.
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£45 for a single injection, including the consultation.
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At Miles Pharmacy in Epsom, for £45. The booster covers tetanus, diphtheria and polio in one injection.
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Most people who completed the five-dose UK course are protected for life. For travel, a booster is advised if your last dose was more than ten years ago and medical care may be limited where you're going.
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If your last dose was more than ten years ago and you're going somewhere medical care may be limited, a booster is usually advised. If you've had the full five-dose UK course, you're probably covered for life. We'll check your history at your appointment.
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No. This booster covers tetanus, diphtheria and polio only. If a form asks for Tdap or pertussis, you need the whooping cough version instead.
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Bring whatever records you have. If there's no evidence of a completed primary course, the recommendation is usually three doses a month apart rather than a single booster.
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Only for certain countries, and usually only for stays of four weeks or more, where a certificate can be asked for on exit. The dose has to be given between four weeks and twelve months before you leave.
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It contains tetanus, so it counts towards your tetanus protection. Tell us the date and we'll check whether you need anything else.
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It's licensed from age 6 as a booster. Younger children follow the NHS childhood schedule, including the pre-school booster.
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Clean the wound and get medical attention where you are for anything deep, dirty or caused by an animal. Don't wait until you're home.
Find the pharmacy
Where to come, and when
Miles Pharmacy is in Epsom, Surrey. Patients come to us from across Surrey, including Ewell, Ashtead, Leatherhead and Banstead, and from Sutton, Cheam, Surbiton and Kingston in south-west London.
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.
Sources
- Summary of Product Characteristics, low-dose diphtheria, tetanus and inactivated polio booster (electronic medicines compendium). Checked .
- UKHSA Green Book chapter 30: tetanus. Checked .
- UKHSA Green Book chapter 15: diphtheria. Checked .
- UKHSA Green Book chapter 26: poliomyelitis. Checked .
- NHS England/UKHSA low-dose diphtheria, tetanus and inactivated polio vaccine Patient Group Direction v6.00, dated . Checked .
Travel health
Book before you pack.
Choose a service and a date that suits you. One of us confirms it with you directly.
- Private and NHS
- GPhC premises 9011598
- Open until 6:30pm
Prefer to talk? 020 8393 1000