PGD for Revaxis for Travel Purposes

Just found a PGD template for Revaxis which includes TRAVEL in its inclusion criteria from Public Health England, uploaded onto the website in November 2015 and valid until October 2017 see here. 

The PGD still has to be formally authorised and signed by a clinical governance or patient safety lead, who has designated responsibility for signing PGDs on behalf of NHS England for their geographical area to meet the legal requirements for the PGD. However, for those of us with no PGDs for travel vaccines at the current time, this is helpful!

The inclusion statement says 'Individuals aged 10 years and over who: are travelling to an area where medical attention may not be accessible should a tetanus prone wound occur, or will be residing in epidemic or endemic areas where tetanus, diphtheria or poliomyelitis protection is required and the final dose of the relevant antigen was received more than 10 years ago, even if the individual has received 5 doses of tetanus containing vaccine previously' 

You can also click on the image below to  access this PHE template.  

Viral Hepatitis Serology Training

Have you sometimes struggled to understand and remember the interpretation of hepatitis B serology testing and what each result means.  Reference is made to the different results in the 'Green Book' for example Table 18.4 Vaccination of term babies according to the hepatitis B status of the mother - on page 173 see here.  

A wealth of resources not only for serology training on hepatitis B but also hepatitis A, C, D and E can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website with videos and full explanations here.  Clicking on the image of the hepatitis B virus below will also take you to this same page and from here, you'd be able to explore an excellent range of further resources on the topic.

 

As 2015 draws to a close.....

I haven't written on the Blog much this Autumn, its been a frantic time and I apologise for that.   However, I do write on my Travel Health Training Ltd. Facebook page here quite often.  I'm aware not all of you belong to FB though and don't want to use this social media so in 2016 I will endeavor to put the posting from there onto the Blog as well!

In the meantime, wishing you good health, happiness and good fortune in 2016! 

A travel health update as a letter to Santa!

For quicker snippets to keep you updated, I write a monthly feature in Practice Nurse journal and many of you know I'm kindly allowed to put it on my website - see here although it's also viewable in the journal and their website here.  

The article for December 2015 was composed within a letter to Santa! This time the item of greatest concern to me was the fact that more and more CCGs seem to be stopping providing PGDs for the NHS vaccines (that's hepatitis A, typhoid, polio and cholera and any combination vaccines that has one of these disease protections within it). Of even greater concern is that not all nurses administering the vaccines in a GP setting are aware they have no current PGD and they need to set up PSDs or prescriptions for the vaccines before administering them until the problem is resolved.  I have been in touch with NHS England to try and understand what is happening and believe the situation is being addressed and will write more when there is further news.

In the meantime, as the article suggests, please check your PGDs in the surgery to ensure they are in date and if not take action!  To see the article directly click on the image below

2015 UK Malaria Guidelines published today

Guidelines for malaria prevention in travellers from the UK for 2015 have just been published by Public Health England see HERE or on image below.  The document now has page numbers added to help you find your way around more easily!  The key changes include updated guidance on the use of insect repellent and sun protection; updated guidance on the use of hydroxychloroquine, anticoagulants, doxycycline use in epilepsy; new maps for India and South Africa; changes to recommendations for Vietnam and Malaysian Borneo; clarification of advice for people moving through areas requiring different malaria chemoprophylaxis and an appendix with information including membership of the committee, terms of reference and methodology used to make the recommendations.

Interesting in that also today a report published in the journal Nature, states nearly 700 million cases of malaria have been prevented in Africa as a result of concerted efforts to tackle the disease since 2000 and overall the number of infections fell by 50% across the continent. Bed nets were responsible for the vast majority of the decrease.  To see this news item on the BBC see HERE and for the article in Nature see HERE.  

TravelHealthPro

TravelHealthPro is the new website of the National Travel Health Network and Centre or NaTHNaC.  A complete overhaul of the site reveals stunning fresh looking webpages suitable for healthcare professionals and travellers alike.  Beautifully illustrated and making full use of modern technology and social media, it contains many new and exciting features.  On the individual countries, check out the weather widget, the direct access to the Google map and an easy link to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.  Disease outbreaks and latest news details can be seen via information icons on the 'world overview' section here.   The new yellow fever maps on the relevant country pages (taken from the CDC maps) and even some malaria endemicity maps have been added (with more to come in due course).  See India as an example, here.  Check it out, it may take you a little while to get used to the new format, but I'm sure you'll soon enjoy the exciting and vibrant experience!

The new website address is www.travelhealthpro.org.uk  or click on the image below

Conference only 7 weeks away now!

The Highs and Lows of Travel is a collaborative travel medicine conference I'm undertaking with the Royal College of Nursing.  This event was planned at the end of 2014 and I can't believe it is now nearly upon us!  Because last year there was such demand, we were fully booked weeks before the event.  Therefore this year we decided to hold the day in the lovely spacious surroundings of the Royal College of Physicians in Regents Park, London.  The programme is packed with nine speakers and a variety of topics to update and provide new information.  It is suggested that if practising travel medicine that you undertake an annual update, so this would provide that opportunity if you're hooked by this exciting field of practice.  The day will also provide the chance to meet and mingle with many like minded healthcare professionals in travel health.  Click here or on the image below for more information.