Health. Guidelines only, not advice. For advice, please talk to your doctor. Acute Mountain Sickness. (AMS)

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Aldous Armstrong
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1 Health Guidelines only, not advice. For advice, please talk to your doctor. Acute Mountain Sickness. (AMS) There is a separate document which addresses AMS and our acclimatization plan in some considerable detail. It will be circulated separately. Acetazolomide (Diamox) is strongly recommended for this trip. We can t make it compulsory but many alpine climbing groups do so as a condition of climbing with them. Many of our team used it in Nepal to good effect. 250mg tablets recommended. Antibiotics On these expeditions, where we are a few days away from a doctor, having a course of antibiotics in reserve is helpful if you end up with a cut, gash, or stomach infection. We have reason to resort to these on each expedition Kokoda due to a gash with a high risk of infection and in Nepal due to gastro problems. Your anti-malarial medicine may be all the antibiotic you need. Check with the doc. Ask your doctor to ensure there is no clash between Diamox and any antibiotic that they prescribe.

2 First Aid Kit Details are included in an equipment checklist - to be circulated separately. Here is a good start. Paracetamol/Aspirin or both Diamox Blister patches/skin Adhesive tape Blister/tape Antibacterial ointment Antibiotics Imodium Antihistamines Ibubrufen/other any inflammatory Anti malaria medicine Bandages, gauze Salt tablets Gastrolyte Bushmans Scissors Pocket knife Tweezers Sun screen Water purification Thermometer Epipen Check

3 Insects Mosquitos are the main problem in East Africa but so too wasps and related nasties. If you need to bring an epipen for insects, do so. Swimming As tempting as it might be to leap into cool water there are a few good reasons to avoid swimming in lakes and streams. Apart from the obvious big critters that might want to mess with your day there is a nasty little one you don t want to catch a parasite that penetrates the skin and makes its way to the bladder and bowel. Called Bilharzia it can cause kidney failure if left untreated. Paddling or swimming in slow moving water is not recommended unless we have local confirmation that the water is Bilharzia free. Vaccinations The challenge with any advice about vaccinations for travel is that there is always conflicting advice, even from doctor to doctor. The following commentary does not constitute advice - for that you should consult your doctor. The first five vaccinations in the table are ones you are likely to already have but are included here just to be safe rather than sorry. You should have those first five for any travel to East Africa.

4 Vaccination Recommended Comment Tetanus Yes Routine Make sure this is up to date Diphtheria Yes Routine Polio Yes Routine Chicken Pox Yes Routine Measles/Mumps/ Rubella Yes Routine Typhoid Yes Contracted through food and water good idea to get this one. Hepatitis A Yes As for typhoid Malaria Tablets Yes We are at altitude for most of the trip and perhaps Amboseli is the only place where we might be exposed to malaria. However we are in one of the most malaria infested parts of the planet and its not worth avoiding medication.

Yellow Fever Yes No longer required to gain entry to Tanzania BUT sometimes border control deny entry if you don t have this vaccination. Worth getting on that basis alone.

5 Yellow Fever Yes No longer required to gain entry to Tanzania BUT sometimes border control deny entry if you don t have this vaccination. Worth getting on that basis alone. You need a certificate from a Yellow Fever Clinic. Ring to find an approved clinic that can a) give you the vaccination and b) stamp your vaccination certificate Hepatitis B Yes Sex, tattoos and medical procedures are common vectors for HepB. Check with your doctor. Rabies Yes Local advice is that this is not required if we are not handling animals. Not required in Kenya Meningococcal Meningitis Yes Check with your doctor Online reference is But the Centre for Disease Control (US) is also helpful, and perhaps the most authoritative and up to date. You will see there is conflicting advice between these two sites!

It is worth getting a WHO Vaccination Certificate booklet for any international travel. You will use it for this trip and any others in the future. It looks something like this.

6 It is worth getting a WHO Vaccination Certificate booklet for any international travel. You will use it for this trip and any others in the future. It looks something like this. You will definitely need a certificate record of your Yellow Fever vaccination with an appropriate stamp from an Australian Government Accredited Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre.

7 Water Assume all water in East Africa is unsafe to drink. Boil water and use purification tablets. Even if people have not fouled water sources, including wells, animals may well have. Bottled drinks should always be checked to ensure the seals are intact. Avoid drinking directly from a softdrink can you don t know where that can has been and travellers have contracted leptospirosis this way a nasty bacteria infection conveyed through rat piss.

Passport Tickets Travel Insurance TRAVEL HEALTH?

Passport Tickets Travel Insurance TRAVEL HEALTH? Over 70 million trips abroad are made from the UK every year 1, but around 50% of travellers seek no health advice before travelling 2. This means many