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Health in Cambodia

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Before you leave for your Cambodia trip, you'll probably need to see your local GP to discuss practical precautions you can take before you leave. Arranging a last minute trip to Cambodia shouldn't be a problem for a healthy person. Be sure to always bring along your vaccination documents, if you have these. Of course, it's best to arrange vaccinations well before departure if at all possible.

We'll also give you some pointers on what you can do to keep yourself healthy while you're on location, and finally we'll let you know what you should look out for after you return back home.

Websites:
www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
www.tripprep.com

Health in Cambodia: Vaccinations

DTP: Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio. These vaccinations are advised for most countries beyond Europe, the vaccination is active valid for 10 years.
Hepatitis A: Choose from either short or long-term protection; long-term protection is valid for 10 years.
Stomach Typhoid Fever: This vaccination is advised by medical authorities if you decide to stay in Cambodia for longer than 2 weeks. The vaccination is valid for 3 years.
Dengue and Japanese B-encephalitis: These are both illnesses which are spread by mosquitoes; therefore you should take the same precautions to ward of infection as you would for Malaria. There is no vaccine for Dengue; however there is a vaccine for Japanese B-encephalitis. Vaccination is recommended if you are planning on staying in Asia for more than 6 months.

Health in Cambodia: Malaria

There is a risk of contracting Malaria in Cambodia all year round, especially beyond the larger cities. Therefore it is very important to limit the risk of contracting Malaria by taking preventative measures such as by taking Malaria medication. Other preventative measures are: covering arms, legs and feet in the evening, wearing mosquito repellent and using mosquito-netting to keep mosquitoes at bay. You can also saturate the mosquito-netting with a mosquito repellent. Also, be sure to bring something to hang your mosquito-netting up with such as rope and a screw-hook or cork-screw. The type of Malaria medication you should take depends on the length of your stay, your personal medical background and the area that you wish to visit. Advice on Malaria medication is quite personal; so it's best to get advice about your personal situation form the medical authorities mentioned earlier.

Health in Cambodia: Additional preparation

Preparing (or buying) your own first-aid kit for the tropics is a smart move. If you are on medication, be sure to bring along the information leaflet and some extra medication so that you won't have to worry about finding a Cambodian pharmacy if you do lose any. It's also a good idea to bring along an English explanation from your doctor regarding the medicine you are taking. If applicable, you may also want to bring along a clean set of syringes and needles, though remember to bring along a doctor's statement for these as well.

If you wear glasses or contact lenses, you might also want to bring along the optician's description or an extra pair of glasses or set of contact lenses.

Health in Cambodia: During your trip

Besides reading the general advice provided here, please be sure that you have received the correct vaccinations for your Cambodia trip. It's also important to try to be as healthy as possible prior to departure. Of course you'll also want to avoid becoming ill while you are on holiday, so remain vigilant about your health and when in doubt, consult a doctor.

Overcoming Jetlag
The common traveller's 'ailment' known as "Jet lag" is caused by a disruption to your biological clock (primarily your sleeping and waking rhythms) due to flying through different time zones. The body needs time to adjust to the new biorhythm for the first few days after your flight. During this time you can feel tired and irritable. Try to avoid drinking coffee or alcohol during the flight or do so in limited amounts. On arrival in Cambodia, try not to demand too much of your body for the first couple of days. It's also best to adjust to the time-difference and the new sleeping rhythm as quickly as possible. We recommend an hours sleep after arrival and then remaining awake until (early) bedtime.

Health in Cambodia: Diarrhoea

A change of rhythm, climate and food (especially spicy food) can cause your stomach to become out of sorts. As long as your only symptom is loose, watery stools and no other symptoms, you should be just fine if you rest a bit and drink plenty of water in small quantities. It may be necessary to take some Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) dissolved in water to prevent dehydration and this is especially important for the elderly and children. If diarrhoea persists for more than 48 hours and is also accompanied by headache, vomiting, or blood in the stool or if you’re taking any other medication at the time, you should contact a doctor. The doctor can send a stool sample to a lab for analysis to determine the source of the problem. Diarrhoea can end suddenly, but can leave a lingering feeling of lethargy since your intestines need time to recover.

Health in Cambodia - Be careful with food

Health in Cambodia: Preventing diarrhoea

During your Cambodia travel experience, you should only consume water and soft drinks from properly closed and sealed tins or bottles, or drink boiled water; such as tea or coffee. Ice is trustworthy in the form of machine-produced ice cubes. Fruit juice is safe, provided no water has been added. Food, particularly meat and fish, must be well cooked. We advise against the western-style salads offered in salad bars (in expensive hotels). Hamburgers are generally a lot less safe than the normal meat the locals eat. As it's not always safe to eat from street stalls in Cambodia, always best to eat where it's busy. This is because the time between food preparation and consumption is therefore the shortest, which is good for the hygiene. Take note of how the plates, glasses and cutlery are washed. There is often no running water and only a bucket with soap in it, baking in the sun. If that is the case, it's sensible to find somewhere else to eat. Restaurants where you can see how clean it is are recommended. With regards to street stalls, it’s probably smart not to eat meat at the end of the day; the meat can sometimes have been lying around all day un-refrigerated. A tried and trusted housewife's remedy to prevent dehydration during diarrhoea is to drink cola and bouillon (not at the same time). Cola can be bought everywhere and you can bring stock cubes and a single-cup beverage with you from the UK.

Health in Cambodia: A few additional tips

Skin care
• Whilst you are travelling in Cambodia, you should take all cuts, scratches etc in the tropics seriously; keep a close eye on them, clean them with disinfectant and keep them covered with a plaster during the day. You should also try and avoid scratching mosquito bites.
• Always use a high factor sunscreen cream on exposed skin, even in the rainy season. Snorkelling with a T-shirt and shorts is not unusual. The sun is super strong at the equator, even if it's cloudy.
• You can avoid attracting biting insects by not wearing brightly coloured or black clothing, strong perfume or deodorant or aftershave. It you’re prone to skin irritations, wear cotton or linen clothing. You can help avoid prickly heat by using talcum powder on your body after your morning shower.
• Wash or disinfect your hands after using the toilet, and don't bite your nails.
• During the dry season, in the woods there’s a slight chance that a tick may land on you. So to be safe, check your body for these bugs in the morning and evening; especially behind the knees and in the crotch. Should you find one, don't try to just pull it out, use tick pincers (obtainable from chemists) or seek medical attention.

Sunstroke
Sunstroke can be prevented by wearing a hat, and sunglasses. Always keep a bottle of water with you, especially if you're in the wilderness and unlikely to come across drinking water. If you suspect sunstroke (feeling light-headed, headaches), you can prevent it from getting worse by drinking water and finding somewhere in the shade to sit.

Health in Cambodia: When you're home

If you have a fever, bowel problems or other physical complaints after you return home, don't hesitate to contact your doctor and let them know that you've been in Cambodia. You should also let them know how long you travelled for and what activities you did in Cambodia. Don't forget, you might experience health issues up to several months after your return from Cambodia. If you've spent a lot of time with the locals you should have a Mantoux or TBC test done.

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