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Health
| | Special Precautions | Certificate Required | | Yellow Fever | No | 1 | | Cholera | No | No | | Typhoid and Polio | No | N/A | | Malaria | No | N/A |
1: A yellow fever certificate is required from travellers over one year of age arriving within six days of leaving or transiting countries with infected areas.
Food & drink: Standards of hygiene in food preparation are very high. Milk is pasteurised and meat and vegetables are considered safe to eat. Care should be taken, however, when sampling ‘bush tucker’ in outback areas as some insects and fauna are highly poisonous unless properly cooked.
Other risks: Occasional outbreaks of dengue fever and Ross River fever have occurred in rural areas in northern Australia in recent years. There have been reports of Murray Valley encephalitis in the Northern Territory. Corals, jellyfish and fresh water crocodiles may prove a hazard to the bather and heat is a hazard in the northern and central parts of Australia. Insectivorous and fruit-eating bats have been found to harbour a virus related to the rabies virus and should be avoided. Venomous snakes and spiders exist throughout Australia and can be extremely dangerous. Medical assistance should be sought immediately if bitten.
Note: There are strict customs and health controls on entering and leaving the country, and Australian law can inflict severe penalties on health infringements. Australia reserves the right to isolate any person who arrives without the required certificates. Carriers are responsible for expenses of isolation of all travellers arriving by air who are not in possession of the required vaccination certificates. All arriving aircraft are sprayed before disembarkation to prevent the spread of disease-carrying insects.
Health care: Doctors and dentists are highly trained and hospitals are well equipped. There is a reciprocal health agreement with the UK, in emergencies only, which allows residents from the UK free hospital treatment. Passport or proof of UK residence, such as an NHS medical card or a UK driving licence, must be shown. Prescribed medicines, ambulances and treatment at some doctors’ surgeries must be paid for. Personal insurance for illness and accidents is highly recommended for all visitors. Those wishing to benefit from the agreement should enrol at a Medicare office; this can be done after treatment.
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
Terms and Conditions apply.
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