Four travel vaccines are free on the NHS from a GP surgery, once you have filled in a risk assessment form: cholera, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio (which comes inside the combined diphtheria, tetanus and polio jab). Hepatitis B, rabies, Japanese encephalitis, tick-borne encephalitis and yellow fever are not routinely available on the NHS, so you normally pay. Which ones you need depends on your trip, so the checklist below starts with your route and uses Kenya as a worked example.
Looking to book? Our travel clinic in Wythenshawe offers a free travel health consultation and is an official yellow fever vaccination centre.
Free on the NHS or paid for: how it splits
The NHS travel vaccinations page puts travel vaccines into two groups. The free group comes from your GP surgery after the risk assessment form:
- cholera
- hepatitis A
- typhoid fever
- polio, given within the combined diphtheria, tetanus and polio vaccine
Everything else is in the second group. You can pay for those at a private vaccination clinic, at a pharmacy that runs travel health services, or at a GP surgery if yours offers them. Yellow fever has one extra rule: only registered yellow fever vaccination centres can give it.
In practice, ask your GP practice about the free ones first. Book the paid ones wherever suits you. Starting early matters more than where you go.
The checklist, step by step
- Write down the whole route. List every country, the regions within them, and any change of plane. Some countries ask for a yellow fever certificate from people arriving from a risk country, and TravelHealthPro notes this can include airport transit.
- Look up each country. TravelHealthPro lists the vaccines advised and the malaria risk. GOV.UK lists entry rules.
- Find your vaccine history. Not sure what you have had? Check the NHS App or ask your GP. Routine vaccines such as measles should be up to date for every traveller.
- Get advice 4 to 6 weeks ahead. The NHS gives this window because several vaccines are given as a course, and immunity takes time to develop. Advice at short notice is still worth having, but you may not be fully covered by the day you fly.
- Allow at least 10 days for yellow fever. If you need the certificate, the NHS says to have the vaccine at least 10 days before you travel.
- Buy travel insurance soon after booking. GOV.UK says to declare existing health conditions, including ones under investigation, because leaving one out may invalidate the cover.
- Pack medicines in hand luggage. TravelHealthPro advises the original pharmacy packaging, a copy of the prescription and a letter from the prescriber.
Worked example: what the checklist turns up for Kenya
This is what the official pages say today. Your own advice may differ, depending on where in Kenya you go, for how long and what you do.
Vaccines. For most travellers to Kenya, TravelHealthPro lists three: hepatitis A, tetanus and typhoid. Hepatitis A and typhoid are on the NHS free list. In the UK a tetanus booster is given as the combined diphtheria, tetanus and polio vaccine, which the NHS also covers. For some travellers, TravelHealthPro adds chikungunya, cholera, dengue, hepatitis B, measles, meningococcal disease, rabies, tuberculosis and yellow fever.
Yellow fever. There is a risk in parts of Kenya. TravelHealthPro recommends the vaccine for travellers aged 9 months and over, including those visiting the Masai Mara, the Tsavo game reserves and Lake Nakuru. It is generally not recommended for trips only to areas with low potential for exposure: Nairobi, Mombasa, the North Eastern province and parts of the coast. Separately, Kenya requires a certificate from travellers over 1 year old who arrive from a country with yellow fever risk. The UK is not one, so whether you need the certificate depends on your route. Once issued, it lasts for life.
Malaria. TravelHealthPro rates the risk as high in Kenya, and very low in the city of Nairobi and the highlands above 2,500 metres. Its advice has four parts: know the risk, avoid bites, take prevention tablets where they are advised for your area, and get checked quickly if you fall ill. Symptoms can start between 8 days and a year after a bite. If you develop a high temperature after the trip, get urgent medical help and mention that you have been to Kenya.
Paperwork. GOV.UK says you must apply online for an electronic travel authorisation before you go, and Kenya’s authorities suggest doing it at least 2 weeks ahead. TravelHealthPro also reports an ongoing mpox outbreak there, so look at its outbreak updates near your departure date.
Getting it done at Bowland Pharmacy
Our price list shows the travel health consultation as free. You talk through your trip and your health with our pharmacist. For what to bring, see our post on what to expect at a travel health consultation.
We are an official yellow fever vaccination centre, and our yellow fever page explains that the certificate is issued on the day of your appointment. Yellow fever vaccination is a private service. Our travel clinic page suggests booking 6 to 8 weeks before you travel where you can, but get in touch even if your flight is sooner.
Flying from Manchester? We are at 52 Bowland Road, Wythenshawe, open Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. Use our booking page or phone 0161 998 7114. The diphtheria, tetanus and polio booster is one of the vaccines we offer.
Common questions
Can I get my Kenya vaccinations on the NHS?
Some of them. Hepatitis A, typhoid and the combined diphtheria, tetanus and polio vaccine are free from a GP surgery after a risk assessment. You normally pay for yellow fever, rabies and hepatitis B.
Do I need a yellow fever vaccine for Kenya?
TravelHealthPro recommends it from 9 months of age, including for the main game reserves, but generally not if you only visit Nairobi, Mombasa, the North Eastern province or parts of the coast. Your exact plans decide it.
What goes on a yellow fever checklist?
Check whether any country on your route needs a certificate, transit stops included. Book at a registered centre at least 10 days before you fly. The NHS suggests keeping a copy of the certificate for your records.
Where can I get travel vaccinations in Manchester?
Ask your GP surgery about the free ones. For paid vaccines, the NHS points to private clinics, pharmacies with travel health services, or GP surgeries that offer them. Registered yellow fever centres are listed on the NaTHNaC website.
Important health information
This page gives general information. It is not a diagnosis, a recommendation for any vaccine or medicine, or a substitute for your own travel health assessment. Country guidance changes, so check it again shortly before you leave. If someone’s life is at risk, call 999. For urgent help that is not an emergency, use NHS 111.
Sources
Official guidance checked 5 October 2026:
- NHS: Travel vaccinations
- NHS: Yellow fever vaccination
- NHS: Malaria
- TravelHealthPro: Kenya
- TravelHealthPro: Yellow fever
- TravelHealthPro: Medicines and travel
- GOV.UK: Kenya entry requirements
- GOV.UK: Foreign travel insurance
Published by Bowland Pharmacy. Written to NHS, TravelHealthPro and GOV.UK guidance. Superintendent Pharmacist: Ahmed Al-Liabi (GPhC 2208502).
Ready to take the next step?
Book your consultation with Bowland Pharmacy in Wythenshawe. Same-day and next-day appointments usually available.
