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If you are planning an overseas trip to somewhere in the tropics, you may be vaguely aware that you will need some vaccinations and to take other precautions to protect your health when you get there.
Although getting health coverage as part of your travel insurance policy is something everyone should do, prevention is always better than cure, not just because you don’t want your holiday ruined by severe illness, but because some of the health risks are very severe indeed.
The key step to take is to find out what your medical needs are for the country (or countries) you plan to visit and then take steps to ensure these are dealt with.
In some cases, that may mean taking certain medications such as anti-malarial tablets, while taking steps to prevent getting bitten in the first place, such as wearing long sleeved, light clothing and using mosquito nets and DEET. But in many cases, travel vaccinations are essential.
These fall into two categories. In some cases, some vaccinations are optional and that you might need if you find yourself in high-risk situations. For example, in parts of Asia, you may be at a higher risk of Japanese Encephalitis if you venture into rural areas with wetland environments that harbour a lot of biting insects.
However, there are some jabs that you will need to have as a mandatory entry requirement to visit certain countries, with a certificate to prove it. Yellow fever is a case in point.
In some cases, this is required for all entrants. In others, such as Tanzania, you will need to provide certification if you are travelling from another country that poses a yellow fever risk.
An example of this would be tourists who take on the popular challenge of climbing Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, which stands in Tanzania.
One of the easiest ways for tourists to get there is to take an international flight to Nairobi, the capital of neighbouring Kenya, and then cross the border by road. Kenya is listed as a yellow fever risk.
Yellow fever is a nasty viral disease which, like many tropical infections, is caused by insect bites. Present across sub-Saharan Africa and much of central and South America, the virus commonly causes symptoms like a high temperature, headache and loss of appetite.
While most people start to get better after three or four days, a minority develop more serious symptoms such as jaundice (which is where the name yellow fever comes from), bleeding from the eyes and when visiting the toilet and, in some cases, death.
As with any vaccination, you should get your jabs a few weeks before you go, so immunity can be built up. It is also important to understand if there are any reasons that you cannot get the vaccine, which would include pregnancy, allergy to the egg-based ingredients or having a weakened immune system.
In such circumstances, it would be wise not to undertake the trip, especially if mandatory certification rules mean you would not be admitted to the country without it. For most people, however, it is a matter of making sure you have had it and can prove this at the point of entry. Check now if it is required where you are going.
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