You will need a course of vaccinations and a supply of malaria tablets for India. They are not essential requirements for entering the country, but are very strongly recommended. While sanitation and hygiene in India remain at their current levels, it’s wise to take every possible precaution against ill-health.
Vaccinations
You’ll need protection against typhoid, tetanus, polio, hepatitis and, if you intend to spend some time in Delhi, meningitis. The cholera vaccine is now considered ineffective against the strains prevalent in India. Diseases like malaria and hepatitis, which are both very easily contracted, can not only make your life a misery while you are abroad, but may also remain with you for the rest of your life.
In the UK, you can either make an appointment to see your local GP or use a local vaccinating centre. Your GP is likely to be the cheapest option, but make sure you leave yourself enough time. London has several quick and efficient drop-in centres: West London Vaccinating Centre at 53 Ct Cumberland Place, London WIH 7LH (tel 071-262 6456), open from 9.00 am to 4.45 pm; the London Hospital for Tropical Diseases, 4 St Pancras Way, London NWI (tel 07I-637 9899); Trailfinders, I94 Kensington High Street, London W8 7RC (tel 07I-938 3939); Thomas Cook, 45 Berkeley St, London WI (tel 07I-408 4I57); British Airways Travel Clinic, I56 Regent St, London WI (tel 07I-439 9584), open from 9.00 am to 4.I5 pm daily, I0.00 am to I2.30 pm and 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm Saturdays. Expect to pay up to £40 for a full course of injections at a commercial travel clinic.
Vaccinations are best administered about two weeks before departure. This gives them time to take full effect (typhoid immunity takes I0 days to settle in properly), and allows you to get over any unpleasant side-effects before you travel. The commonly used vaccine against hepatitis A, gamma globulin, remains at peak strength for only a few weeks, so take it as close to departure as possible. If you are intending to stay in India for 6 months or longer, you might want to consider the newer, more expensive vaccine, which affords protection for up to a year. For frequent travellers, there is now a course which immunises you for life.
Malaria Tablets
You will need both the daily and weekly varieties of tablets. Start taking them I0 days before you leave for India. This gives you a chance to change them if the ones prescribed by the clinic or your GP don’t agree with you; and it also allows your body to start building up some immunity before you arrive. Continue taking them for 6 weeks after returning home. Malarial parasites are extraordinarily resilient and many varieties are now found in India. Unfortunately, resistance to the currently available drugs is now widespread, but this does not mean that you should not bother taking them; rather, equip yourself with a mosquito net (if you intend to spend a great deal of time out of doors), some coils (to burn in hotel rooms), and a good repellent such as Jungle Formula, to give you double protection.
Once you’ve seen the doctor, see your dentist. Ask for spare caps, plus glue kit, for any teeth presently capped. While dental treatment in the major cities is of a high standard and not expensive, facilities outside the major cities are often more basic.
Contact-lens wearers should seriously consider switching to specs for India, because of dust, heat, intense glare, etc. Spectacle-wearers should note down their prescription. Opticians in India are cheap, and the cost of prescription lenses and frames is often a fraction of the UK equivalent.
AIDS
AIDS in India is much more prevalent than is officially accepted. The problem is not confined to the ‘red-light’ areas of the major towns but is possibly spread throughout the country. Anyone seeking a working or student visa for more than one year must take an AIDS test and submit a copy of the certificate verifying a negative result along with the visa application.
