Medical Advice
Unfortunately spending months in such a beautiful country requires injections and pills as well as certain precautions. These are revised from time to time. Up to date information can be obtained from many sites such as Netdoctor. You can usually get the vaccinations from your doctor's surgery however for the yellow fever vaccination you usually need to go to a specialist clinic usually in a city such as London.
Vaccinations probably required are:
Hepatitis A, Polio, Hepatitis B, Typhoid, Tetanus, Meningitis Tuberculosis, Yellow fever
Malaria
All the time that you are in Tanzania or any of the surrounding countries you should take malaria prophylactics. They vary in their effectiveness. Currently Larium is one of most effective but it has the worst side effects.
For more information you can ask your doctor or visit websites which will guide you in greater detail e.g. Netdoctor or Go2Africa.
Most people will not catch Malaria if they take sensible precautions:
- Be sure to take the anti-malarial drugs according to the required dosage even after you get home.
- Use mosquito repellent when necessary and wear long-sleeves and trousers when it is dusk.
- Choose a sensible place to sleep when travelling e.g. not next to stagnant water.
- Always use a mosquito net and check that it is put up properly and that there are no holes.
- The village where we work (Mshiri) is largely on the top of the mosquito line however it is still necessary to take precautions even though the number of mosquitoes is not as great as on the plains.
Water
The water in Tanzania, either from the tap or out of rivers is not safe to drink without using a water filter. A water filter removes any impurities and bugs that are in it. There are two main types of water filters, portable and large. You will need a portable water filter for yourself as well as a large water filter to share in the house where you will stay.
Advice will be given on the training course before you leave the UK.