Travel itineraries for India range from a short trip to the golden triangle (Delhi, Agra/ the Taj Mahal, and Jaipur), a month spent meditating in an Ashram, a cruise on the backwaters of Kerala, a trek in the Himalayas, the beaches of Goa, a tour of the rambling palaces and forts of Rajasthan, aid work in poor rural villages or tiger spotting in the national parks.
With such a vast and wondrous landscape, each itinerary carries its own health risks.
The following information provides some broad and general guidelines about health risks and recommendations for travel to India. This should not be taken as a substitute for a personal consultation with one of our travel health doctors, whose advice will be specific for you and your trip and may include some things not mentioned here.
Six to eight weeks out from departure is a good time to have a travel health consultation. You may need blood tests to check immunity to diseases or need a course of vaccines like rabies for example, and this gives you plenty of time to get everything completed. If you are travelling sooner however it's not too late for an appointment, simply make one as soon as you can.
Dengue fever, chikungunya and zika virus are some of the mosquito borne diseases in India. While there are vaccines for Japanese encephalitis and medication to reduce the risk of malaria, mosquito avoidance is the only way to prevent many of these diseases.
Travellers diarrhoea, giardia and dysentery are just some of the illnesses caused by contaminated food and water.
Because of the high risk in India observe strict food and water safety precautions and hand hygiene.
Everyone should be up to date for routine childhood immunisations and may need adult boosters for such diseases as tetanus, measles and hepatitis B.
Additional vaccines may also be recommended depending on your individual medical history, current itinerary and the likelihood of future travel.
Hepatitis A is highly recommended for travel to India.
Read MoreA food and water borne disease, typhoid vaccination is often recommended for travel to India.
India is thought to have more cases of rabies than any other country in the world. Consider pre-travel vaccination well before travel (at least three weeks is required). Thoroughly flush and disinfect wounds and seek prompt medical care and post exposure vaccinations after animal bites and scratches.
Read MoreUnderstanding the risks, prevention, treatment and symptoms of altitude sickness is a must for those going above 2500m. Our medical staff will discuss this with you during your consultation and may prescribe the medication acetazolamide.
Read MoreThere are a few things you can do to reduce the risk of gastro spoiling your trip, including taking a water filtration drink bottle and one of our customisable medication kits with guidelines for self-treatment.
Read MoreAn oral vaccine available for the prevention of cholera which also reduces the risk of travellers diarrhoea, is often taken by those wishing to significantly reduce their risk of gastro.
Read MoreIt is important to understand how to avoid this rare but potentially catastrophic mosquito borne disease. For those at significant risk there are a couple of vaccine options.
Read MoreIt is best to seek expert advice from a travel health doctor about the need for preventive medication if travelling to risk areas. Mosquito avoidance is essential. Any fever occurring during or after travel requires prompt investigation to exclude malaria or other diseases.
Read MoreIncreasing in incidence in many parts of the world, dengue is a serious mosquito borne disease.
Read MoreSpread through mosquito bites, this viral illness can present similar to Ross River virus, is usually less severe than dengue but may cause long term aches and pains
Ensure adequate hydration and rest /cooling to treat.
See the Australian governments' website: smartraveller.gov.au
Never leave Australia without appropriate travel insurance.
As there is no non-essential overseas travel at this time this article will simply remain as an information resource for COVID-19. See our main COVID-19 page for more detailed information. We hope to be able to inform our travelers once again after this crisis passes. The links below remain trustworthy
Over 48,000 cases of dengue fever have been reported in Sri Lanka since 1st October 2019, a significant increase in incidence. Travellers should observe strict mosquito avoidance measures, particularly during daylight hours.
As a result of recent outbreaks of measles in various countries, the Solomon Islands' will be requiring arriving travellers from/via American Samoa, Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Philippines, Samoa, or Tonga to show proof of measles vaccination, effective December 28th 2019. Vaccination needs to have been at least 15 days prior and
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