Health

• Medical Precautions
  Protect yourself from the sun and do not soak up the sun for too long, move slowly to let your body acclimatise, especially if you cannot put up with high temperatures. Drink a lot of water and try to regain the mineral salts you have lost - the tablets on the market can be of help.
  To avoid sunburn, use sunblock creams with high sun protection factor and protect all the parts of your body which are not usually exposed to the sun, like your feet. A hat or cap will protect your face and head, while you should use a zinc cream, or some other sunblock liniment, for your lips and nose.
  Do not ABSOLUTELY forget to pack anti-diarrhoea medicines, drugs for treating gastrointestinal disorders, personal insect repellent and all your personal and prescription medications.

   

• Inoculations
  No inoculations are obligatory for Botswana; however, we suggest you consult your doctor whether you had better take preventive anti-malarial medication. Several are in fact the factors which health officers have to consider before eventually prescribing malaria chemoprophylaxis, like: destination, urban and/or rural areas, time of the year, risk of exposure to malaria-carrying mosquitoes, potential medical contraindications for and side-effects of anti-malarial drugs, travellers' existing medical conditions and age. Chemoprophylaxis, if prescribed, needs to be commenced 1 or 2 weeks prior to departure and continue for 4/5 weeks after travelling to a malaria risk region.

   

  Chemoprophylaxis does not prevent you from getting ill, but it kills malarial parasites during the development phase. Therefore, to cut down the risk of contracting the disease, travellers should combine preventive anti-malarial medication with bite avoidance measures. In particular, travellers should:

   

  • avoid, if possible, staying outdoors between dusk and dawn, as Anopheles mosquitoes carrying the malarial parasites are most active at this time
  • wear long trousers and long sleeves
  • wear neutral coloured clothing, as insects are attracted to dark and bright colours
  • avoid using perfumes or aftershaves, which could attract mosquitoes
  • apply insect repellents on exposed areas of skin (please be careful that they are not toxic to children)
  • use knockdown sprays before retiring for the night to free sleeping areas of insects.

   

  In most cases, malarial symptoms include: fever, shivering, headache, backache, excessive perspiration, muscle aches, diarrhoea, sickness, vomit and cough. Travellers who develop fever after travelling to malaria risk areas should seek prompt medical assistance for clinical diagnosis and appropriate treatment.