United Nations Medical Directors Vaccination and Malaria Prophylaxis Recommendations for UN Personnel on Official Travel and UN Health Care Workers February 2018

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United Nations Medical Directors Vaccination and Malaria Prophylaxis Recommendations For UN Personnel on Official Travel and UN Health Care Workers February 2018

• The following UN Medical Directors’ occupational health recommendations are provided to all Organizations and UN personnel in order to reduce the risk of UN personnel acquiring vaccine-preventable diseases and malaria. • Sections 1 and 2 should be applied to all UN personnel travelling on official business. • Section 3 should be applied specifically to UN health care workers, defined as all individuals involved in patient care. • Note that these recommendations should be applied according to factors such as an individual’s vaccination history, health status, destination/s, trip itinerary, type of travel, length of stay etc. • If this is a hard copy of the document, please be sure to check Travel Health Information (hr.un.org/travel-health-information ) for the latest version of this document. • Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions on this document.

Category Description Vaccines or Malaria Prevention UN Medical Directors Specified Recommendations

Routine vaccines These vaccines are part of • Diphtheria, tetanus and • All UN personnel should be up-to-date recommended most national childhood pertussis (DTP) and current with this list of vaccines. All 1 for all UN vaccination programmes. • Measles, mumps and rubella vaccines should be received early personnel, (See (MMR) enough (ie on average 2 weeks) in regardless of who.int/ith/vaccines/en/ ) • Polio order to build adequate protection travel destination • Hepatitis B before departure. • Seasonal influenza (yearly shot) • Pre-travel consultation is a good opportunity for UN personnel to review their vaccination status with their health care provider before travelling.

MSD Public Health Unit – February 2018

Vaccines and a) Vaccines made Examples include: • All UN personnel travelling should be malaria mandatory by certain aware of, and compliant to, the 2 prevention countries: Some countries • Yellow fever vaccine for destination country’s entry and exit recommended for require proof of travellers going to and coming requirements. all UN personnel vaccination for travellers from countries/areas at risk of travelling to wishing to enter or exit the yellow fever • For information on your destination certain country. • Meningococcal vaccine country’s stated requirements for destinations (Updates for pilgrims going to yellow fever and other diseases, please Saudi Arabia are available at see who.int/ith/en/ . saudiembassy.net/hajj-and- umrah-health-requirements ) • Individuals should also check with the • Polio vaccine (OPV or IPV) relevant consulate or embassy for the latest information.

b) Vaccines Examples include: • UN personnel should seek advice from recommended for certain your Organisation’s medical services to destinations: • Cholera assess your personal risk and get Some vaccines are • Hepatitis A and/or E recommendations on the vaccines recommended to provide • Japanese encephalitis needed for your destination. protection against diseases • Meningococcal endemic to the country of • Polio (adult booster dose) • In addition, UN personnel may also origin or of destination, and • Typhoid fever refer to wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/ for to protect travellers and • Rabies vaccines recommended according to prevent disease spread • Tick-borne encephalitis destination. within and between countries.

c) Malaria prevention Four types of malaria prevention • UN personnel travelling to countries needed: Mosquito bite (Type A, B, C, D) are specified by with malaria transmission areas should prevention and prophylaxis WHO, depending on a country’s consult www.who.int/ith/2017-ith- with antimalarial medicines malaria risk profile (Annex). country-list.pdf?ua=1 on which type of are recommended by malaria prevention to follow (Annex). WHO for travel to countries with malaria transmission. • Note that the choice of malaria prophylaxis will depend on the exact location(s), duration and type of stay, and based on a specific health risk assessment, including personal medical history.

Vaccines UN healthcare workers • Hepatitis B • Health care workers are defined as all recommended for who work directly with • Polio persons involved in patient care 3 all UN healthcare patients or handle material • Diphtheria including physicians, nurses, workers that could spread infection • Measles emergency medical personnel, lab should either: • Rubella technicians, pharmacists and dentists. • Meningococcal - Be vaccinated against • Influenza • This list of vaccines are based on this list of diseases OR • Varicella WHO’s vaccine recommendations for health care workers available at - Have proof/ www.who.int/immunization/policy/Imm documentation of unization_routine_table4.pdf?ua=1 immunity against these diseases.

Annex: Types of Malaria Prevention Recommended by WHO (http://www.who.int/ith/2017-ith-chapter7.pdf?ua=1)