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Zimbabwe- Health advisory

Health - Nearly all safari lodges will carry a comprehensive medical aid kit. In the unlikely event of serious accidents while on safari you're likely to be treated by MARS (Medical Air Rescue Service), a very professional and experienced company.

Most of your travel service providers will subscribe to MARS and the chances are your own travel insurance taken out in your resident country will be linked with MARS to cover any treatment required

Medical services provided by hospitals and pharmacies in Zimbabwe are not good.

Other Health Tips

It is unlikely you will contract any serious disease while in Southern Africa. No compulsory vaccinations are required for Zimbabwe but recommended ones are diphtheria and tetanus, hepatitis, polio and meningitis, and typhoid.

Travellers have advised the use of bottled water to avoid any possible stomach complaints.

Sadly Zimbabwe is one of the worst affected countries in Africa for AIDS and HIV. You are strongly advised to avoid sexual contact, exposure to blood or dirty syringe needles. Should you require treatment request any syringe be unwrapped in front of you, but again bear in mind that with MARS (see above) and private clinics or hospitals this can almost be guaranteed. All blood donations are screened but obviously there is no absolute guarantee that blood may not be infected.

Be sensible about exposure to the sun and the heat in general as this may cause heat stroke or exhaustion – eat salt on your food, drink liquids regularly and wear protective sun creams and clothing. If you suffer from allergies, bring your own prescriptive medicine. Other useful medical aid kit items to bring along are: antihistamine (insect bites, itches, allergies), Imodium or equivalent (for diarrhoea) and antiseptic cream (for minor injuries). For more comprehensive advice on travel health, see:

Malaria

General Advice

1. Avoid being bitten by mosquitoes

The old adage rings true “Prevention is better than cure” – therefore the best way to avoid malaria is to avoid being bitten in the first place.

Mosquitoes and most other insects are generally active for a few hours around sunset. They can and often do continue to be bothersome throughout the night and are also around in the early morning.

• We suggest that you change into longs just before sunset and spray yourself with the provided repellent.

• Turn out lights when not in use.

• Use insect repellent on exposed skin.

• Sleep under a bednet or in a netted tent or hut or in a house or caravan with screens.

• Close windows and doors at night.

• Spray insecticide aerosol and/or burn mosquito coil at night. Anopheles mosquitoes prefer to feed near ground level so spray your legs and feet as well.

Malaria mosquitoes (Anopheles) are smaller, fly more quietly and have a distintive posture of head down, body at an angle and hind legs raised when feeding or at rest. This is in contrast with the horizontal position of most other mosquito species.

2.Take prophylaxis in malaria risk areas. Get good advice before you plan your holiday. Take the pills same day each week when weekly, or at the same time of the day if daily. Continue prophylaxis for 4 weeks after your return. Complete the course.

(a) Mefloquine
Mefloquine (Lariam®) has been taken by people up to 12 months without side effects, is highly effective and has a simple weekly dosage. However, it has a number of contra-indications and requires a doctor's prescription. It also has been known to have rare but severe neurological side effects.
Start a week or two before, to check for possible side-effects and continue for 4 weeks after leaving the area. Mefloquine should be taken on a full stomach.

(b) Doxycycline
This drug is highly effective in SE Asia where there is multi-drug resistance, and resistance is rare. However, it is for short term use only and can cause light sensitivity. Doxycycline should only be taken if other drugs are unsuitable. It has been known to render birth control pills ineffective when taken at the same time.

(c) Proguanil/Chloroquine combination
This combination should be used with caution as resistance has developed in Mozambique and other regions. Proguanil (Paludrine®) every day; Chloroquine (Daramal® / Nivaquine® / Promal® ) once a week.
This combination can be taken safely up to 3 months, very cautiously for 6.

Start a day before entering the malaria area, and continue for four weeks after you leave the area. It is generally well tolerated and is available without prescription.

3. If you are pregnant or have small children, avoid a holiday in a high-risk malaria area / season. Cancel / postpone your holiday if necessary.

4. If you, or one of your party, show ‘flu like symptoms’ and signs like body pain, headache and fever develop 7 to 20 days or longer after visiting an endemic area, have a simple blood test done. This check will show if there are any parasites in your blood, and just remember, early treatment rarely leads to complications.

5. The further away you are from towns and crowded areas the less chance you have of contacting malaria as it is relayed from person to person.

AIDS

Your biggest chance of contracting HIV/AIDS is through unprotected sex.
AIDS, as well as various venereal diseases are widespread in Southern Africa

Bilharzia

Your chance of getting Bilharzia is small if you follow some simple rules.
Do not use water directly from rivers or dams for drinking, unless you boil it first.
Swimming in rivers or dams exposes you to Bilharzia, unless you can see signboards saying the water is safe and clean for human consumption.

The water in towns, at hotels and in swimming pools, has been treated and is then safe.
Water Sports Clubs usually treat their shoreline areas.
Public parks using tap water will have signs telling you if the water is safe to use.
Fast flowing mountain streams are usually clear, clean, and free of Bilharzia.

There are pills available for protection against Bilharzia. See a Doctor, or Pharmasist

Sunstroke and Sunburn

It is recommended that you wear a broad-rimmed hat, wear sunglasses, and use A good quality sun-screen cream or lotion.
You can also cover your skin by wearing long sleeve shirts, long trousers, slacks, or jeans.

Snakes

Are very common, but hardly ever seen. Puff adders being the most dangerous.They lie in paths and do not move, especially in autumn.

Not all snakes are dangerous. So, if you do get bitten by a snake, don’t panic.

If you can, kill the snake for identification purposes, but if that is not possible then try and remember what the snake looked like.
Your trail guides, or rangers, will have with them snake bite serum, and they do know what to do.

Above all, remember that most snake bites are not fatal

Tick-Bite Fever

March-April is the worst time as the grass is long and wet.
Symptoms appear one week later, with swollen glands and severe aching of the bones, backache, headache and fever. The disease will run it’s course over three to four days

Scorpions and Spiders

You could get a rather painful bite, but its almost never fatal.
A simple precaution is, when you are camping, shake out your shoes and clothes in the morning before getting dressed, and checking your sleeping bags, etc, before retiring at night

Rabies

Be wary of strange animals. even stray dogs and cats. If you are bitten, by any animal, it is wise to go straight to a clinic. Rabies may be treated effectively with a course of injections if caught in time

Yellow Fever

Vaccination certificates are necessary if you have come from any infected area as specified by the World Health Organisation
These are
In AFRICA:- Angola, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, D.R.C, Cote D’Ivore, Congo, Mali, Sudan, Sumalia, Ethiopia, Gabon, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Liberia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Senegal and Sierra Leone.

In SOUTH AMERICA:- Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia,
Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname and Guyana

Medical insurance

You are well advised to obtain medical insurance before arrival. Please bring any personal medicines that you may require with you, as they may be hard to find.
If you wear prescription glasses we recommend that you also bring a spare pair.
Bring your own small medical kit, including band aids, iodine (water purification), and aspirin, or your own preferance in pain killers, as well as antacids, and doses of antibiotics.
It is also wise to bring a small supply of unused hypodermic needles with you.
Some clinics in remote places may not have stocks.
Avoid walking barefoot. Any cut, bite or sting, can easily get infected in the dust and humidity.