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Why food and water safety matters
A travel health check for a high-risk country looks at the illnesses you may pick up from unsafe food and water. In many destinations, travellers are more likely to be exposed to bugs that cause diarrhoea, vomiting, hepatitis A, typhoid, and other infections.
For UK travellers, the advice is often very different from what you would follow at home. Even a short trip can cause illness if local sanitation, food handling, or drinking water standards are poor.
What the health check will cover
During the check, a clinician will ask where you are going, how long you will stay, and what type of travel you are doing. A backpacking trip, volunteer placement, or rural visit may carry more risk than a package holiday.
You may be asked about your accommodation, access to clean water, and whether you will eat from street vendors or in places with limited hygiene. This helps identify the foods and drinks most likely to cause problems.
Practical advice on what to eat and drink
The check usually includes simple food and drink safety rules. These may include drinking bottled, boiled, or properly treated water, avoiding ice unless you are sure it is made from safe water, and choosing food that is freshly cooked and served hot.
You may also be advised to avoid raw shellfish, undercooked meat, unpasteurised dairy products, and salads or fruit that cannot be peeled. Good hand hygiene is important too, especially before eating and after using the toilet.
Vaccines and medicine that reduce risk
A travel health check can identify whether you need vaccines that help protect against food and water-related diseases. Hepatitis A vaccine is commonly recommended for high-risk destinations, and typhoid vaccination may also be advised.
In some cases, you may be given a plan for managing diarrhoea while abroad. This could include oral rehydration salts, anti-diarrhoeal medicine, or advice on when to seek medical help if symptoms become severe.
How to stay safe while travelling
The check should help you create a realistic plan for eating and drinking safely on the trip. It can also explain what to do if you cannot avoid risky food or water, which is useful in remote areas or during delays.
Following the advice can reduce the chance of losing days of your holiday to illness. It also lowers the risk of bringing an infection home and spreading it to others.
When to book a travel health check
It is best to book your travel health check at least six to eight weeks before departure. This gives enough time for vaccines, follow-up appointments, and proper advice on food and water safety.
If you are travelling sooner, it is still worth booking. Even a last-minute appointment can provide important guidance and help you prepare for a safer trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Travel health check high-risk country food and water safety before departure is a pre-travel review of your health risks, vaccinations, medications, and practical advice to reduce illness from unsafe food and water in higher-risk destinations.
Anyone traveling to a country with higher risk of food- and water-borne illness should consider a travel health check high-risk country food and water safety assessment, especially children, older adults, pregnant travelers, and people with chronic medical conditions.
You should arrange a travel health check high-risk country food and water safety appointment ideally 4 to 6 weeks before departure, but even last-minute travelers can still benefit from advice and some preventive measures.
Travel health check high-risk country food and water safety visits often review routine vaccines and destination-specific vaccines such as hepatitis A, typhoid, cholera, and sometimes hepatitis B, depending on your itinerary and risk factors.
After a travel health check high-risk country food and water safety consultation, you are usually advised to avoid raw or undercooked meat, seafood, eggs, unpeeled fruit, uncooked vegetables, street food that is not freshly cooked, and foods kept at unsafe temperatures.
Travel health check high-risk country food and water safety guidance usually recommends sealed bottled water, water that has been boiled, or water that has been properly treated with reliable purification methods.
Travel health check high-risk country food and water safety precautions generally advise brushing teeth with safe bottled, boiled, or treated water rather than tap water in areas where the water supply may be contaminated.
Under travel health check high-risk country food and water safety advice, ice should be avoided unless it is made from safe water, because ice can carry the same contamination risks as untreated water.
Travel health check high-risk country food and water safety recommendations do not forbid all street food, but they advise choosing food that is cooked thoroughly and served hot, from vendors with good hygiene and high turnover.
Travel health check high-risk country food and water safety steps to prevent traveler’s diarrhea include safe food choices, drinking treated water, frequent handwashing, and carrying a clinician-recommended treatment plan for illness if needed.
Travel health check high-risk country food and water safety planning usually recommends washing hands with soap and safe water or using alcohol-based hand sanitizer before eating and after using the toilet.
Yes, travel health check high-risk country food and water safety preparation often includes packing oral rehydration salts, because they can help replace fluids and salts if you develop diarrhea or vomiting.
Yes, travel health check high-risk country food and water safety visits often give special advice for children, because they are more vulnerable to dehydration and more likely to be exposed to contaminated food and water.
Pregnant travelers should discuss travel health check high-risk country food and water safety carefully, since food- and water-borne infections can be more serious in pregnancy and some preventive medicines may not be suitable.
Travel health check high-risk country food and water safety consultations may recommend prescriptions for self-treatment of traveler’s diarrhea, nausea, or dehydration, depending on your destination, health history, and clinician advice.
Travel health check high-risk country food and water safety advice usually suggests checking that bottled water seals are intact and avoiding bottles that may have been refilled or tampered with.
Travel health check high-risk country food and water safety precautions usually advise avoiding raw salads and unpeeled fresh produce unless you can wash or peel them with safe water and handle them hygienically.
Travel health check high-risk country food and water safety guidance says to watch for diarrhea, vomiting, fever, severe stomach pain, blood in stool, or signs of dehydration, and to seek medical care if symptoms are severe or persistent.
Travel health check high-risk country food and water safety reduces the risk of hepatitis A and typhoid by combining vaccination when appropriate with careful food and water choices and strong hygiene practices.
If you feel ill after returning despite following travel health check high-risk country food and water safety advice, you should contact a healthcare professional, mention your travel destination, and report any food, water, or gastrointestinal symptoms promptly.
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