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Health
| | Special Precautions | Certificate Required | | Yellow Fever | Yes | 1 | | Cholera | 2 | No | | Typhoid and Polio | 3 | N/A | | Malaria | 4 | N/A |
1: The risk of yellow fever is primarily in the equatorial south. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over one year of age arriving from infected areas, and may be required from travellers leaving Sudan. Those countries and areas formerly classified as endemic zones are considered by the Sudanese authorities to be infected areas. Travellers arriving from non-endemic zones should note that vaccination is strongly recommended for travel outside the urban areas, even if an outbreak of the disease has not been reported and they would normally not require a vaccination certificate to enter the country.
2: Following WHO guidelines issued in 1973, a cholera vaccination certificate is no longer a condition of entry to Sudan. However, cholera is a serious risk in the country and precautions are essential. Up-to-date advice should be sought before deciding whether these precautions should include vaccination as medical opinion is divided over its effectiveness. See the Health appendix.
3: Vaccination against typhoid is advised.
4: Malaria risk, predominantly in the malignant falciparum form, exists throughout the year throughout the country. In the north, the risk is seasonal and low. High resistance to chloroquine and resistance to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine has been reported. The recommended prophylaxis is mefloquine.
Food & drink: All water should be regarded as a potential health risk. Water used for drinking, brushing teeth or making ice should have first been boiled or otherwise sterilised. Milk is unpasteurised and should be boiled. Avoid dairy products which are likely to have been made from unboiled milk. Only eat well-cooked meat and fish, preferably served hot. Pork, salad and mayonnaise may carry increased risk. Vegetables should be cooked and fruit peeled.
Other risks: Bilharzia (schistosomiasis) is present. Avoid swimming and paddling in fresh water. Swimming pools which are well chlorinated and maintained are safe. Visceral leishmaniasis is currently epidemic in eastern and southern Sudan. Vaccination is strongly recommended. The disease is transferred through sandflies which live mainly on river banks and in wooded areas.
The transmission rate of trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) is high, with a significant risk of infection for travellers visiting rural areas in the south of the country. Hepatitis A, B and E, diphtheria and meningococcal meningitis are also present. Dracunculiasis is prevalent in the south. Rabies is present. For those at high risk, vaccination before arrival should be considered. If you are bitten, seek medical advice without delay. For more information, consult the Health appendix.
Health care: Medical treatment may be free at certain establishments but health insurance is essential and should include cover for emergency repatriation. Medical facilities are very limited, particularly outside Khartoum.
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