Medical
If your planning a trip such as ours then it is
essential that you prepare as well as you can for medical problems.
The first thing to consider is the multitude of vaccinations you
will require. Here is a list of vaccinations that we needed:
- Diphtheria
- Hepatitis A & Typhoid Combined
- Hepatitis B
- Meningitis A, C W & Y Combined
- Polio
- Tetanus
- Yellow Fever
We decided not to get vaccinated against Rabies & Cholera as these
cost £250 & £50 each respectively and we felt the risk of infection was low.
For Malaria we will take Lariam once a week before we enter the Kruger as
this is the first risk area we will face.
However, we were shocked to be told by our GPs practice nurse that a
years course would cost approx £650 each!
After some quick emails to friends in SA we discovered it is far cheaper
to get them there, around 95p per tablet so we will get these when we
arrive in Cape Town The other major headache is making sure you carry
sufficient stock of any personal prescriptions you take each day in the UK.
Between us we take 4 tablets per day but luckily with the invaluable help of
our GP we just about managed to secure enough for a year, even though we do
feel like a portable drug store! Whilst on that note its prudent to also
get a TWIMC letter from your GP stating the drugs are prescribed for your own
use and are legitimate. If you plan to visit Lake Malawi or certain areas
in Zambia then there is a risk of contacting Bilharzia, so you should take
some precautionary medicine regardless of whether you show symptoms or not
(see September 2005 week 4 in the journal). |