Health Check
Essential Information For Maldives
Health Advice
You are advised to visit your general practice surgery or a specialist travel medicine clinic at least 6 weeks before you travel. However, it is never too late to seek advice. If you suffer from a long-standing medical condition such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart/lung disease, or a nervous disorder, arrange for a check-up with your doctor who can prescribe enough medication for your time abroad and, at the same time, provide you with a letter explaining details of your condition. You should also have a dental check-up before you travel, and obtain a spectacles prescription, if required.
For current, expert travel health advice, please contact:
The National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC)
NaTHNaC has been created to promote clinical standards in travel medicine with the goal of 'protecting the health of British travellers'. NaTHNaC will do this by improving the quality of travel health advice available to GP practices and other health care professionals, as well as providing online web resources that provide health information and advice for travellers. NaTHNaC should be your first port of call when considering what health precautions to take when travelling to Sri Lanka. NaTHNaC will not be able to answer queries from the public. http://www.nathnac.org/travel/index.htm
Fit For Travel
Public access website provided by NHS (Scotland), which gives travel health information for people travelling abroad from the UK. http://www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk/home.aspx
MASTA
One of the largest networks of travel clinics in the country and advisors to British Airways for travel medicine, MASTA provide professional travel health advice directly to the public through their bespoke online Health Brief and via an extensive network of travel clinics. http://www.masta-travel-health.com/
Nomad Travel Clinic
Offers a full travel vaccination service, travel medical kits and travel health advice. Phone to book for an appointment or use their walk-in service. http://www.nomadtravel.co.uk/pg/140/Travel-Clinic
Travel and Medical Insurance
It is a prerequisite of booking with Tikalanka that you take out adequate travel and medical insurance before travelling to Maldives. Please contact us for more details.
Vaccinations
Always consult your doctor or a specialist travel clinic before travelling. If you require any of the recommended vaccinations below, see your doctor well in advance of your travel. Most courses must be completed in a minimum of four weeks. Travel clinics may provide rapid courses of vaccination but are likely to be more expensive.
There are no compulsory vaccinations for entry into Maldives, with the exception of Yellow Fever (only if arriving from an infected area within six days – see below). However, the following vaccinations are strongly recommended for a trip to Maldives:
- Hepatitis A
- Poliomyelitis
- Tetanus
- Typhoid
See Fit For Travel for recommended vaccinations.
You may be asked for an 'International Certificate of Vaccination or Revaccination Against Yellow Fever' if you have visited a country affected by yellow fever immediately before travelling to Maldives (normally within the previous six days).
Children should, in addition, be properly protected against the following: whooping cough, mumps, measles and HIB.
Teenage girls should be given rubella (German measles) vaccination if they have not already had the disease.
Malaria
There is no risk of malaria in Maldives.
Dengue fever
Dengue is known or presumed to occur in Maldives.
Dengue is a systemic viral disease transmitted via the bite of infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which feed predominantly during daylight hours. All travellers to dengue areas are at risk. There is no vaccination or medication to prevent dengue.
Dengue precautions are essential. Avoid mosquito bites at all times in dengue areas by covering up with clothing such as long sleeves and long trousers, using insect repellents on exposed skin and, when necessary, sleeping under a mosquito net. If you have been travelling in a dengue area and develop a fever seek medical attention promptly. A previous dengue illness with one of the four dengue virus serotypes does not confer immunity to other virus serotypes. Infection with a second dengue serotype may be a risk factor for the development of dengue haemorrhagic fever.
