Kenya Health

Health

Health Protect yourself from mosquitoes, as they carry numerous diseases such as dengue fever, malaria and yellow fever. Get expert advice on malaria preventatives. Guard against mosquito bites. Wear long sleeves and long trousers and apply an effective insect repellent, for example one containing DEET. If you get flu-like symptoms including fever, consult a doctor immediately. If no doctor is available, take a treatment dose of an appropriate anti-malarial and go immediately to a hospital.It is advisable to buy bottled water or pills to purify drinking water. If you get such symptoms within 12 months of returning home, seek a doctor's advice very quickly and immediately tell him where you have been in the last year. Delayed treatment, even by just a few hours, can lead to permanent brain and liver damage or death. Do not have unprotected sex, as people might have HIV/AIDS. Cholera is another danger. When getting in contact with it, see a doctor immediately and drink plenty of water. It is advisable to have traveller's and accident insurance. Degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2004) Safety Stay alert when walking or driving through Nairobi. You should be careful to always be aware of your surroundings and if possible ensure that you have a guide with you. Nairobi is not nicknamed 'Nairobbery' for nothing and even daylight muggings on crowded streets are not uncommon. Particularly avoid walking after dark (take a taxi if you can afford it, at least a bus if you can not). Avoid ostentatious displays of wealth and property, particularly tempting objects such as cameras, mobile phones, laptops, MP3 players etc. The bus from the airport to downtown is a notorious target for pickpockets. It is advisable for women travellers to avoid travelling alone and to have a male companion so as to present less of a tempting target.Muggings and robbing are a regular occurrence in downtown Narobi but are less prevalent in the uptown areas of Nairobi like Westlands which have very good security due to the well off individuals who live and work there. If you are unlucky and get mugged, a good tactic is to wave your arms and start screaming at the would-be mugger. Confrontations with armed robbers, however, should be avoided – in this instance remember that your possessions are far less important than your life. Most criminals in Nairobi are more interested in a quick grab and dash than they are in a prolonged encounter. Since robbery is frequently punished by lengthy prison terms or even death, most muggers can be dissuaded by a good show of force. It is perfectly possible to see much of Nairobi without incident if you take sensible precautions. The North of the country has a reputation for lawlessness, becoming more dangerous the closer you get to the Sudanese, Ethiopian and Somali borders – armed robberies and abductions by shiftas (bandits) on the roads in these areas are frequent. Avoid travelling to this part of the country if possible, and take special precautions if travelling by road – armed convoys are normal for this part of the country. Visitors to Lake Turkana (indicated on the map as Lake Rudolf) in the Northwest and Lamu in the Northern end of the coast are advised to travel there by air. Lodwar, Lokichokio ('Loki') and Moyale are towns best avoided by the casual traveller, unless you have business with the humanitarian organisations based there.

[ World Health Orginisation ]

[ Hospital of Tropical Diseases ]