Travellers visiting overseas countries where vaccinations and other preventive measures are required will be able to visit the Travel Clinic at Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Communicable Diseases Center (CDC).
Opened on Monday, 20 February 2017 the clinic provides travelers with counselling, vaccinations and other preventative measures. It also provides assessment and medical care for travelers returning with travel-related infections.
The clinic will operate on an appointment basis and patients will be able to call and book ahead of time. Those accessing the clinic’s services will be able to attain a certificate of vaccination (required for travel to some countries) as well as disease prevention advice for the countries they will visit.
These include recommended vaccines for measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, polio, hepatitis A and B and the yearly flu shot. Some additional vaccines for yellow fever, rabies, and diptheria may also be required for travel, depending on the country being visited. Vaccinations will be free for all, unless the medication required is specialized (for example Japanese Encephalitis).
Travelers can now make appointments at the clinic by calling 40254003 from 7 am to 7 pm. The clinic will operate only Mondays in the interim, with a view to expand as demand grows.
The clinic, the first of its kind in Qatar, will provide highly specialized advice and treatment for those returning from overseas trips who suspect they may have a travel-related illness such as persistent diarrhea, rash, and fever.
Dr. Muna Al Maslamani, Medical Director of the CDC, said:
Our aim is to protect the health of travellers by providing exemplary clinical care along with specific advice and information for each traveler.’
It is important for travellers to be up to date with their vaccination and have their medical care optimized before they travel, particularly when there is a heightened risk of becoming sick in the country they are visiting. By providing all the necessary advice and preventive measures including vaccinations, our clinic will be a “One Stop Shop” for travellers in Qatar.’
We recommend travellers consult with Hamad’s CDC Travel Clinic doctors about what vaccines and medicines are needed based on travel destination, trip duration and activities.’
Vaccinations that will be available at the Travel Clinic include:
- Meningococcal vaccine
- Rabies vaccine
- Typhoid vaccine
- MMR vaccine
- Haemophilus Influenza type B
- Diphtheria, Tetanus , acellular Pertussis (TdaP) vaccine
- Tetanus vaccine
- Yellow Fever vaccine
- Hepatitis A vaccine
- Hepatitis B vaccine
- Pneumococcal vaccine
- Seasonal Flu vaccine
- Polio vaccine