Travel Clinic in Portsmouth

Travel vaccines for Portsmouth residents

Portsmouth has more travellers per square mile than most UK cities. There's the Navy and dockyard population, the Brittany Ferries and Condor crossings to France and the Channel Islands, the cruise terminal at Portsmouth International Port, plus families heading off through the local airports at Southampton, Gatwick and Heathrow. The travel reasons range widely — work postings, family visits abroad, gap years, retirement cruises, Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages, charity work, sports trips, faith-based travel — and the vaccine conversation looks different for every one of them.

Gunwharf Travel Clinic is on Queen Street in Portsea, inside Merali Pharmacy. We're two minutes from Gunwharf Quays, walking distance from Portsmouth & Southsea station and The Hard Interchange, and easy to reach by bus from Southsea, Cosham and across the city. Pay-and-display parking is available on Queen Street and the surrounding streets. Same-day travel vaccine appointments are routinely available — usually with a minimum of two hours' notice from the appointment time.

The honest difference between NHS travel vaccines and a private clinic

Some travel vaccines are available free on the NHS through your GP practice — typically Hepatitis A, Typhoid and the combined Tetanus/Diphtheria/Polio booster, for certain destinations. Cholera oral vaccine and Hepatitis B are also sometimes NHS-funded depending on the practice's contract. NHS Fit for Travel is the canonical reference for what's covered where.

Yellow Fever, Rabies, Japanese Encephalitis, Meningitis ACWY (including for Hajj and Umrah travel), and most full cholera courses are private everywhere in the UK — not just in Portsmouth. The NHS doesn't fund them through GP practices.

The practical issue locally is timing. GP travel appointments are often booked weeks ahead and may need multiple visits to complete a course. Private clinics like ours bundle the consultation, the jabs and any certificates into a single 20–30 minute appointment, with same-day slots typically available. If your departure date is tight, that matters more than the cost difference.

The common travel vaccines we provide

Yellow Fever. Given as a single injection, valid for life under current WHO rules. The International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP) becomes valid 10 days after the jab. We're a NaTHNaC-designated Yellow Fever centre (premises 1099145) so the certificate we issue is recognised at every border that asks for one. Children from 9 months; adults aged 60+ and pregnant or breastfeeding travellers are assessed carefully.

Hepatitis A. Single primary dose protects for about a year; a booster at 6–12 months extends protection to around 25 years. Commonly recommended for most travellers outside Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand.

Hepatitis B. Three doses over 0/1/6 months, or accelerated 0/1/2/12 month schedules where time is tight. Considered for longer stays, medical work, body piercing or tattoos abroad, or destinations with limited access to sterile medical care.

Typhoid. Single injection, protects for around three years. Commonly recommended alongside Hep A for South Asia, parts of Africa, and longer stays in lower-sanitation environments.

Rabies. Three doses (Days 0, 7, 21–28) before travel. Worth considering for longer stays, animal work, children, runners, cyclists, and rural travel in higher-risk areas. Pre-travel vaccination doesn't replace post-exposure treatment — but it changes the urgency and the regimen significantly.

Japanese Encephalitis. Two doses 28 days apart. Considered for longer rural stays, rice-growing or pig-farming areas, and travel during and just after monsoon in South and South-East Asia.

Meningitis ACWY. Single injection, certificate required for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia. Also commonly considered for parts of the African meningitis belt.

Cholera. Oral, two doses 1–6 weeks apart. Considered for longer stays, aid work, or destinations with active outbreaks.

How early should I book?

The textbook answer is four to six weeks before departure. That gives time to complete multi-dose courses (Hepatitis B, Rabies, Japanese Encephalitis), for the Yellow Fever certificate to become valid (10 days after vaccination), and to fit any conversations about malaria tablets if your route includes higher-risk areas.

In practice we see lots of people closer to the date — and there's usually still something useful we can do. Single-dose vaccines like Yellow Fever, Typhoid and Hepatitis A can be given quickly. Accelerated Hep B schedules can compress a 6-month course into 12 months. Even a same-day appointment can sort the certificate-required jabs and a written summary to take to your GP for anything else. Don't write off a late booking.

What about malaria tablets?

Malaria isn't a vaccine — it's a parasite, prevented with tablets rather than a jab. The three commonly used anti-malarials in the UK are Malarone (atovaquone-proguanil), Doxycycline and Lariam (mefloquine). Each has a different dose schedule, different side-effect profile and different cost. The right choice depends on your route, your medical history, what you can tolerate, and how long you're away. During your appointment we'll go through whether anti-malarials are appropriate for your specific route — many popular destinations are classed as low-risk where bite avoidance is the main message. Where tablets are clearly indicated, we'll explain the options and how to source them so you've got everything in hand before you leave.

Getting to 24 Queen Street from across Portsmouth

From the city centre we're a five-minute walk from Portsmouth & Southsea station via Edinburgh Road. From Gunwharf Quays it's a two-minute walk along Queen Street. The Hard Interchange (for buses from Cosham, Southsea, Fareham and Gosport via the ferry) is around the corner. By car, follow signs for Gunwharf Quays; pay-and-display bays on Queen Street and the surrounding streets are usually available, and the multi-storey at Gunwharf Quays is two minutes away on foot.