Cuba Health

Health

Health Cuba is considered very healthy except for the water; even many Cubans boil their water. That said, some travellers drink untreated water without ill effect. The best solution is bottled water and lots of it, especially for visitors who are not used to the 30+°C/85+°F temperatures. Bottled water (agua embotellada) is easily found and costs between .65 and 2CUC for a 1.5L bottle, depending on the shop. Cuban milk and eggs are usually unpasteurised, and can make visitors sick. Additionally, tourists should be wary of vegetables washed in tap water. Despite the warnings, most cuban food is safe to eat and you do not need to be paranoid. The island is subtropical and so the host to a number of diseases. Some recommend an aggressive program of inoculations when planning a trip to Cuba, but most travellers come with little or none. Hepatitis B and Tetanus shots are recommended by most travel clinics. HIV/AIDS infection is less than 0.1%, however as always, you should excercise care and make sure you or your partner wears a condom should you become sexually active while in Cuba. Finding medication is often very difficult. It is highly recommended to stock up on off-the-shelf medication before heading to Cuba, as pharmacies lack many medications that westerners might expect to find. Do not attempt to import psychoactive drugs into Cuba. Havana also features a clinic (and emergency room) for foreigners, which offers extremely prompt service. Safety Cuba is generally a very safe country; strict and prominent policing, combined with neighborhood watch style-programs keep the streets safe from violent crime. Nonetheless, a certain degree of caution is advisable, especially in major cities. Visitors are advised to avoid coming to the attention of the Cuban police and security services. Drug laws can be draconian and their implementation unpredictable. The same may be said about the laws concerning prostitution. The importation, procession or production of pornography is strictly prohibited. Tourists are therefore advised not to involve themselves in the following three areas: politics, drugs, or pornography/prostitution. There is little street crime but in recent years tourists have been increasingly targeted by a large number of relatively small scams, some of these include: Real-looking discount cigars of dubious authenticity being offered by street touts. "Friendly" locals inviting tourists to bars for a drink (normally a Mojito) or to a restaurant; the tourist will be charged two to three times the normal price, and the spoils split between the establishment and the "friend". Short changing in bars or taxis or giving national pesos (CUP) in change for convertible pesos (CUC). These are not especially harmful nor costly, and a lot of tourists knowingly let them pass without complaint to avoid the ensuing confrontation over a comparatively small amount of money.

[ World Health Orginisation ]

[ Hospital of Tropical Diseases ]