Travel Vaccines for Pakistan: What You Need for Mirpur, Lahore and the North

Flying to Pakistan to see family is not the same trip as a fortnight in a resort, and the vaccine advice should reflect that. You are more likely to be drinking local water, eating home-cooked food in a village, staying several weeks rather than several days, and travelling between cities and rural districts. That is exactly the pattern where typhoid and hepatitis A matter most.

At Lyng Pharmacy on Lyng Lane in West Bromwich we see a lot of families heading to Mirpur, Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi and the northern areas. Below is the honest picture of what is usually advised, what it costs, and when to start.

Usually advised for Pakistan

Hepatitis A (£65, child dose £55) — spread through contaminated food and water, and by far the most common preventable illness we see in returning travellers. A single dose covers the trip, with a booster at 6–12 months giving long-term protection.

Typhoid (£35) — same route of transmission, higher risk on longer stays and in rural areas. Protection lasts about three years.

Tetanus, diphtheria and polio (Td/IPV booster, £35) — worth checking if your last booster was more than ten years ago. Many adults are overdue without realising.

Worth discussing on your appointment

Rabies (£60 per dose, three-dose course) — dogs are common in both cities and villages, medical care can be far away in rural areas, and post-exposure treatment is hard to obtain quickly. Worth serious thought for longer trips, children, and anyone staying outside major cities.

Hepatitis B (£55 per dose, child £40) — sensible for stays over a month, for anyone who might need medical or dental treatment while away, and for those visiting repeatedly.

Malaria tablets (from £30) — risk in Pakistan is mainly in Sindh, southern Punjab and lowland areas, and is seasonal. Islamabad, Lahore city and the northern mountains are generally low risk. This one genuinely depends on your itinerary and the time of year, so bring your travel dates and route.

When to start

Four to six weeks before you fly is the comfortable window. Rabies in particular needs three doses over 21–28 days, so it cannot be rushed. That said, do not write yourself off if you are flying next week — hepatitis A and typhoid still give useful protection at short notice, and an accelerated plan is better than nothing.

Travelling with children

Children get paediatric doses where they exist — hepatitis A at £55 and hepatitis B at £40 — and paediatric malaria tablets are priced from £30. Bring their red book or a note of what they have already had, so we are not repeating vaccines unnecessarily.

Frequently asked questions