A doctor has urged Brits to take specific precautions before travelling abroad amid a concerning rise in two dangerous diseases. Providing advice via the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Doctor Shreya Singhal, shared her recommendations for staying safe on holiday this year. Her advice comes as the latest figures have shown a rise in measles and malaria, illnesses that can both prove fatal if not caught early.
To protect you and your family from measles as well as other risky diseases, Dr Singhal urged people to make sure they are up to date with vaccinations. “It is vital to ensure you are up to date with your vaccinations before you travel, both for your protection and for the benefit of the health of those around you,” she explained. “Many countries have different diseases circulating and some of these could potentially be dangerous.
It’s possible to pick up an illness that we don’t routinely see in the UK, and important to remember that some can have serious consequences for vulnerable people.” Providing more details about the measles outbreak, she said: “The measles virus is currently circulating in the UK and it is even more common in some parts of Africa, Asia and mainland Europe, so please check that you and your family are up to date with your MMR vaccines.” Diagnoses of measles have skyrocketed in the UK this year.
According to data from UKHSA , there have been 1,767 lab-confirmed cases of measles nationwide in 2024 so far. This is almost five time.
