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Health in Peru:
Tips on staying healthy whilst travelling:
The most common problem encountered by the traveller in Peru is
diarrhoea (between 30% and 40% of travellers in a 2 week stay
experience this to some extent) but the majority of these upsets
will be relatively minor. Don't become paranoid; trying the local
food is part of the experience of travel.
Tap water in Peru is unsafe to drink. Always purify the water first
by boiling it or adding purification tablets such as Micropure which
can be easily bought in most pharmacies throughout Peru (make sure
that you read the instructions before using them). Bottled mineral
water is readily available everywhere.
In most good restaurants, purified water is used to wash fruit,
vegetables and salads. If in doubt ask. If you want to be extra
careful stick to salads made from boiled veggies (carrots, beans,
beetroot, boiled eggs etc) and avoid the lettace leaves which are
often washed at source in contaminated river water.
Fruit in Peru is plentiful and delicious, but ensure that you wash
it or peel it yourself. Avoid undercooked and reheated foods.
Shellfish are a particularly high risk and so is ceviche (raw fish
marinated in lime juice). They are all delicious, however, and
should be safe in well-run hygienic establishments.
There are good doctors and reasonable hospitals in the major cities,
but little in the way of good facilities away from the major
centers.
Preparations before you travel:
If sensible precautions are taken by the visitor to Peru, there is
no reason why you shouldn't remain as healthy as at home.
1. Before you travel make sure that you take out good medical
insurance. If you plan to undertake 'adventurous activities' such as
rafting, horse riding or paragliding, make sure that your policy
covers you. You may have to pay a small surcharge for this.
2. For advice on what immunizations / inoculations that you require
we recommend that you try ringing a specialist travel clinic (at
least 6 weeks prior to travel). Your own doctor is probably
unfamiliar with health in Latin America.
No inoculations are currently required for Peru. However you should
consider immunization against the following:
► Typhoid
► Polio
► Tetanus
► Hepatitis A
If you plan on going into the Peruvian jungle (Iquitos, Manu,
Tambopata) then a yellow fever vaccination is recommended. There are
still the occasional outbreaks and it is frequently obligatory to
show a vaccination certificate when entering the jungle regions. If
you don't have a certificate then you will be inoculated on the spot
as you get off the plane!
Malaria tablets are also recommended for the jungle, although nearly
all of the jungle lodges in the Madre de Dios/Tambopata areas and
Manu National Park state that there have been no reported cases of
malaria, and that taking anti-malaria tablets are optional but
recommended. |
