The health situation is constantly changing in Sub-Saharan nations, and Chad is no exception. What preparations are necessary to protect your health in Chad will depend on your type of visit, past immunizations received, and risk tolerance. Nevertheless, some steps should be taken by all travelers:
Basic Requirements
-Take malaria medication. If you are willing to incur the high cost, Malarone (atovaquone/proguanil) is the best choice. If you are looking for a cheaper option, Doxycycline will be your best bet. Mefloquine (Lariam), a very commonly prescribed anti-malarial, oftentimes brings with it horrendous side effects. Malaria in Chad is resistant to Chloroquine, which should not be used under any circumstances.
-Be sure to take plenty of over the counter prescriptions that you commonly use, and remember to bring enough of your prescription medications too. You will likely not have access to a pharmacy in Chad.
-Ensure you have received basic immunizations, which include Measles-Mumps-Rubella, Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis, Yellow Fever, Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and Polio. If you want to play it safe, you may want to also get Meningitis-Meningococcal and Rabies, and Influenza. The medical office where you receive your vaccinations should give you an International Certificate of Vaccination (a little yellow booklet), which you should take with you to Chad.
Many precautions depend on how much risk you are willing to take when it comes to health. Other possible preparations and cautions, all of which we recommend, include:
Optional Precautions
-Taking hand sanitizer to use before meals. Oftentimes meals in Chad are eaten without utensils.
-Filtering, purifying, or filtering AND purifying all water you drink. We recommend the MSR MiniWorks EX as a filter and chlorine dioxide tablets for purification.
-Eating only food that that has been thoroughly cooked and fruit that is unpeeled. Obviously this may take some of the fun out of “sampling the local cuisine,” and it is an optional precaution.
-Take sunscreen and insect repellent.
Some dried foods can be taken into Chad. We would recommend that you take a day’s worth of dried food with you to Chad. You may want time to check out local restaurants and plan out routes, and having a food supply to fall back on is invaluable.
For more health information, please visit the CDC Travel Health site.
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