China Tourism: Staying Healthy

Home > Travel Guides > Asia > China > Planning a Trip > Staying Healthy

Staying Healthy

hide display ads

China Travel & Vacation Deals

Sponsored Links

China Luxury Tours

Nat'l Geo Adventure, Top Outfitter. Private guide driver/car from $1206
www.KensingtonTours.com

China Travel Deals

Discount airfare, hotel & package tours. Save 30-70% on China tours
www.ChinaTravelDepot.com

Trusted China Tour Leader

Packages fr $688, 7-29 Days! Recommended By Arthur Frommer
www.ChinaFocusTravel.com

Greatest Risks

The greatest risk to the enjoyment of a holiday in China is one of stomach upsets or more serious illnesses arising from low hygiene standards. Keep your hands frequently washed and away from your mouth. Only eat freshly cooked hot food, and fruit you can peel yourself. Avoid touching the part to be eaten once it's been peeled. Drink only boiled or bottled water. Never drink from the tap. Use bottled water for brushing your teeth.

The second most common cause of discomfort is the upper respiratory tract infection or cold-or flu-like symptoms in fact caused by heavy pollution. Many standard Western remedies or sources of relief (and occasionally fake versions of these) are available over the counter, but bring a supply of whatever you are used to. If you have sensitive eyes, you may wish to bring an eye bath and solution.

If you regularly take a nonprescription medication, bring a plentiful supply with you and don't rely on finding it in China. Feminine hygiene products such as panty-liners are widely available, but tampons are found mainly in Hong Kong.

General Availability of Health Care

While the names and addresses of reliable (and very expensive) clinics with up-to-date equipment and English-speaking foreign doctors are given in this guide where available, in most cases they are not. So should you begin to feel unwell in China, your first contact should be with your hotel reception. Many major hotels have doctors on staff who will give a first diagnosis and treatment for minor problems, and who will be aware of the best place to send foreigners for further treatment.

Be very cautious about what is prescribed for you. Doctors are poorly paid, and many earn kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies for prescribing expensive medicines. Antibiotics are handed out like candy, and indeed, dangerous and powerful drugs of all kinds can be bought over the counter at pharmacies. Mis-prescription is now a significant cause of death in China, including the habit of prescribing a combination of Western drugs and Chinese traditional "medicines" which react badly with each other. In general, the best policy is to stay as far away from Chinese health care as possible. Much of it is not good for your health.

Before You Leave

Plan well ahead. While a trip to Hong Kong or Macau can be made with little extra protection, a trip to mainland China, depending on its duration and time spent outside larger cities, may require a few new inoculations, especially if you haven't traveled much in the less developed world before. Some of these are expensive, some need multiple shots separated by a month or two, and some should not be given at the same time. So start work on this 3 or 4 months before your trip.

For the latest information on infectious diseases and travel risks, and particularly on the constantly changing situation with malaria, consult the World Heath Organization (www.who.int) and the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta (www.cdc.gov). Look in particular for the latest information on SARS, which may continue long after the media has become bored with reporting it. Note that family doctors are rarely up to date with vaccination requirements, so when looking for advice at home, contact a specialist travel clinic.

To begin with, your standard inoculations, typically for polio, diphtheria, and tetanus, should be up to date. You may also need inoculations against typhoid fever, meningococcal meningitis, cholera, hepatitis A and B, and Japanese B encephalitis. If you will be arriving in mainland China from a country with yellow fever, you may be asked for proof of vaccination, although border health inspections are cursory at best. See also advice on malaria.

While You Are There

Mosquito-born malaria comes in various forms, and you may need to take two different prophylactic drugs, depending upon the time you travel, whether you venture into rural areas, and which areas they are. You must begin to take these drugs 1 week before you enter an affected area, and for 4 weeks after you leave it, sometimes longer. For urban tours, prophylaxis is usually unnecessary.

If you visit Tibet, you may be at risk from altitude sickness, usually marked by throbbing headache, loss of appetite, and overwhelming lethargy. Other than retreating to a lower altitude, avoiding alcohol, and drinking plenty of water, many find a drug called Diamox to be effective, if used with caution. For most, 1 sleepless night is all you will have to endure.

Standard precautions should be taken against exposure to strong summer sun, its brightness often dimmed by pollution but its power to burn undiminished.

The Chinese are phenomenally ignorant about sexually transmitted diseases, which are rife. As with the respiratory disease SARS, the government denied there was any AIDS problem in China until it grew too large to be contained, and it still issues estimates of the spread of infection which are highly conservative. In short, even more than at home, you should not undertake intimate activities without protection. Condoms are widely available, including Western brands in bigger cities.

hide display ads

Country Guide

China Tourism: Staying Healthy

Staying Healthy

China Travel & Vacation Deals

China Travel Deals