Nigeria travel vaccines, sorted in Urmston
Visiting family in Lagos, working in Abuja or exploring further afield — pop into Davyhulme Pharmacy and we'll get your jabs, yellow fever certificate and malaria tablets ready before you fly from Manchester.
4 current health alerts for Nigeria
Nigeria is a trip with a lot riding on it — whether you're heading home to see family for a wedding or a festival, travelling for business in Lagos or Abuja, or volunteering somewhere more rural. The health side matters more here than for a lot of destinations, mainly because of malaria and yellow fever, but none of it needs to be stressful. A short chat with our pharmacist sorts out exactly what you need and gets it off your plate.
We're a community pharmacy on Davyhulme Road in Urmston, an easy hop from Manchester Airport, so you can get everything done close to home without a trek into the city centre. Bring your travel dates, a rough idea of where you're going and how long for, and any record of jabs you've already had. Ideally come and see us four to six weeks before you fly — but if your trip has come up quickly, still get in touch, because Nigeria has a couple of things that are genuinely worth doing even at short notice.
Vaccines to consider for Nigeria
Use this as a starting point — your exact list depends on where you're going, how long you're staying and what you'll be doing, so the pharmacist confirms everything with you in your consultation.
Most travellers
Yellow fever
Nigeria is a yellow fever country, and a certificate is required to enter — recommended for nearly all travellers. See the dedicated section below, as this one needs planning.
Most travellers
Hepatitis A
Spread through contaminated food and water, which is a real risk across Nigeria — recommended for almost everyone.
Most travellers
Typhoid
Another food-and-water infection that's common in the region, so it's well worth having for most trips.
Most travellers
Tetanus, diphtheria & polio
A good moment to top up your combined UK booster if it's been ten years or more — one jab covers all three.
Some travellers
Meningitis (ACWY)
Nigeria sits in Africa's meningitis belt. Considered for longer stays, rural travel, the dry season and anyone in close contact with local communities.
Some travellers
Hepatitis B
Considered for longer stays, healthcare or charity work, or anyone who might need medical or dental treatment while away.
Some travellers
Rabies
Rabies is present in Nigeria and reliable treatment can be hard to reach quickly — sensible for longer trips, rural stays and children.
Tablets for most areas
Malaria tablets
Malaria is a high risk across the whole of Nigeria, all year — tablets are recommended for the great majority of travellers. More in the malaria section below.
Yellow fever: needed for your health and to get in
Nigeria is one of the few trips where yellow fever counts twice over, so it's worth getting right. First, there's a genuine risk of the disease across the country, so the vaccine is recommended to protect your own health — this isn't just a paperwork exercise. Second, Nigeria requires proof of yellow fever vaccination to enter, for all travellers aged over nine months. That means you'll generally need the jab and the certificate whether or not you've stopped off anywhere else first. The vaccine is only given at registered yellow fever centres, and the certificate becomes valid ten days after the jab — which is exactly why a last-minute trip can be tight. Tell us your dates as early as you can and we'll point you in the right direction so the certificate is sorted in good time. There are a few people who can't have the vaccine for medical reasons, and for them a doctor can issue an exemption letter, which we can talk through.
Malaria & mosquito bites
Malaria is the single most important health risk on a Nigeria trip. There's a high risk across the entire country, all year round, in the cities as well as rural areas — so for the great majority of travellers antimalarial tablets are recommended, not optional. This is true even if you're only visiting family in Lagos or Abuja for a week or two. Which tablet suits you depends on your route, how long you're away, your medical history and what you're up to, so this is a key part of your consultation — and some tablets need to be started before you fly. Tablets aren't the whole story, though: keeping the bites off matters just as much. A DEET-based repellent, loose long sleeves and trousers after dusk, and a net or air-conditioned room at night all help. If you're visiting friends and relatives, it's worth knowing that growing up in Nigeria doesn't keep you protected once you've been living in the UK — so this advice applies to you too.
Dengue, Zika and daytime bites
It's not only the after-dark mosquitoes to think about. Dengue is spread by mosquitoes that bite during the day and is present in Nigeria, and there's no routine jab we'd give for it — so the daytime bite precautions are your main defence, and they conveniently also cut your malaria risk after dark. Zika has also been reported in the region. It's usually a mild illness, but because it can affect a developing baby, anyone who is pregnant or trying to conceive should have a chat with us before booking so we can go through the latest advice and help you make an informed choice.
Visiting family and friends? A quick word
A lot of our Nigeria travellers are heading back to see family, and there's a well-known catch here worth flagging. People returning to a country they once lived in often skip travel jabs and malaria tablets, assuming they're still protected from childhood — but any natural protection fades after years away in the UK, and children born here have none at all. Visiting friends and relatives also tends to mean staying in local homes, eating home-cooked food and spending longer in rural areas, which can actually raise your exposure compared with a hotel-based trip. None of this is meant to worry you — it just means it's well worth a proper travel consultation rather than assuming you'll be fine, and we'll make it quick and straightforward.
Food, water and a happy stomach
An upset stomach is far and away the most common thing travellers bring home — much more likely than any of the vaccine-preventable diseases. Sticking to bottled or properly treated water, hot freshly-cooked food and being a little choosy with salads, ice and anything left sitting out goes a long way. We'll talk you through simple food and water hygiene and can put together a small travellers' tummy kit, including rehydration sachets, so a dodgy meal stays a minor blip. Hepatitis A and typhoid cover the more serious food-and-water infections, while everyday care handles the rest.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Nigeria requires proof of yellow fever vaccination from all travellers aged over nine months, so you'll generally need both the jab and the certificate. The vaccine is only given at registered yellow fever centres and the certificate becomes valid ten days after the jab, so it pays to plan ahead. Bring us your dates and we'll point you in the right direction so it's sorted in good time.
For almost everyone, yes. Malaria is a high risk across all of Nigeria, all year round, including in Lagos and Abuja, so tablets are recommended even for a short family visit. And if you grew up in Nigeria, any protection you once had fades after living in the UK — so the advice applies to you too. Bring your itinerary and our pharmacist will choose the right tablets and explain when to start them.
Four to six weeks before you fly is ideal. Some vaccines need a little lead time, rabies is a short course, certain malaria tablets must be started before departure, and a yellow fever certificate only counts from ten days after the jab. Travelling sooner? Still ring the Urmston clinic on 0161 748 3016 — there's nearly always something worth doing.
It's worth discussing. Nigeria lies in Africa's meningitis belt, and the meningitis ACWY vaccine is considered for longer stays, rural travel, the dry season and anyone in close contact with local communities. It won't be needed for every short trip, so tell us your plans and we'll advise whether it's right for you.
In most cases, yes — your travel consultation, your jabs and your malaria tablets are all done here at Davyhulme Pharmacy by our pharmacist, with no trip into Manchester city centre. The one thing that's given at a registered centre is yellow fever, and we'll make sure you know exactly where to go and when.
This information is grounded in NHS and TravelHealthPro (NaTHNaC) guidance and is for general information — not a substitute for a personal consultation. Your travel consultation is carried out by our pharmacist.
Heading to Nigeria?
Bring your dates to Davyhulme Pharmacy in Urmston and we'll sort your vaccines, yellow fever certificate and malaria tablets — book online or call us on 0161 748 3016.