You are not specifically required to have any vaccinations for your travel to
China
but travel doctors recommend your routine immunization be up-to-date for:
Tetanus-diphtheria (DPT), measles/Mumps/Rubella (MMR), Varicella (Chickenpox).
Moreover, if you are arriving in
China
from a Yellow-Fever-affected area, you
are specifically required to have proper vaccinations.
Some other immunizations recommended depending on your age and the area you are
going to visit, are: Hepatitis A & B, Typhoid, Japanese Encephalitis and Rabies.
Travel doctors also advise you to see your physician especially one whose
expertise is travel medicine about a month before your trip to China. You are
also advised to visit a travel doctor if you are going to stay in China for a
period of longer than 3 months.
Certain diseases like Avian Flu and SARS have been the concerns of those who
travel to
China for several years now, but they cannot be considered as major
health threats for you in China. However, you may want to consult with travel
doctors to see whether or not there is a need to worry in the first place.
One of your other concerns when traveling to
China
should be the water that you
drink or use for brushing your teeth. At hotels and restaurants, there is
usually bottled water on the menu. But it is strongly advisable that you boil
the water before drinking/using it if you are taking it from the water tap.
There might be signs reading the same warning at hotel bathrooms, but even if
there is no such a sign, you should still take safety measures. However, it is a
relief to know that there are convenience stores almost everywhere in China
where you can find bottled water.
Travel doctors also recommend that you avoid eating raw vegetables if your
stomach is particularly very sensitive. It is a rule of thumb that if a
restaurant is quite crowded, then the food is most probably fresh. This holds
true especially if the crowd is of local people.
There are many and most familiar drugs available in China but again, travel
doctors recommend you take some items with you in case of minor illnesses. Some
of the medicine items that travel doctors recommend you take with you to your
trip to China are as follows:
Band aids
Medicine for headache and
Medicine for upset stomach
Medicine for diarrhea
Insect repellent
Sunscreen
Having said all about the worries and concerns of traveling to China, the
chances are that you will enjoy your trip to
China
and make the time of your
life in this culturally rich country if you take the advise from travel doctor
seriously.
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