Travel Health: Travellers should get the latest medical advice on inoculations
and malaria prevention at least three weeks prior to departure. A
malaria risk exists all year round in Kenya, but more around
Mombasa and the lower coastal areas than in Nairobi and on the high
central plateau. Immunisation against yellow fever, polio and
typhoid are usually recommended. A yellow fever certificate is
required by anyone arriving from an infected area. Other risks
include diarrhoeal diseases. Protection against bites from
sandflies, mosquitoes and tsetse flies is the best prevention
against malaria and dengue fever, as well as other insect-borne
diseases, including Rift Valley fever, sleeping sickness,
leishmaniasis and Chikungunya fever. Two cases of African
trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) were reported in early 2012 in
travelers who had visited the Masai Mara National Reserve. AIDS is
a serious problem in Kenya and the necessary precautions should be
taken. Water is of variable quality and visitors are advised to
drink bottled water. Cholera outbreaks occur frequently, and
travellers should take care not to drink contaminated water and be
cautious of food prepared by unlicensed roadside vendors. There are
good medical facilities in Nairobi and Mombasa but health insurance
is essential.
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