Mandatory and recommended vaccines in Tanzania
Before leaving for a trip abroad, especially outside of Europe, it’s good to worry about vaccinations. Divided between mandatory and optional, they’re part of the necessary process to access the destination country.
Are you planning a trip to Tanzania? In this article we want to help you identify all the mandatory and recommended vaccines to be able to face a holiday in Tanzania in a safe way for your health.
Mandatory vaccines for a trip to Tanzania
Don’t mind those who say that the sanitary conditions are not the best, it’s just a different territory that obviously has different diseases from those we are used to. To protect ourselves, simply follow the advice of doctors and do the right vaccinations. As mentioned before, in order to visit Tanzania and Zanzibar there are NO mandatory vaccinations. Among the most important problems to prevent are Malaria and Yellow Fever. In both cases we talk about recommended prophylaxis, which we will discuss shortly below.
Starting from Italy, since it’s not a risk or infected area, we are not obliged to carry out the vaccines, but we want to remind you that in case of administered vaccination, the certificate is valid after 10 days from the medical appointment and remains valid for 10 years before needing a recall.
For those who leave Italy, there are no mandatory vaccines, unless one falls into one of the cases mentioned above, that is in case one has visited a country at risk and so one is required for yellow fever. If in doubt, it is recommended to evaluate your medical records with your treating doctor, in order to have personalized advice and to activate travel insurance that can guarantee a complete assistance in case of illnesses.
Vaccines recommended for leaving for Tanzania
If the one for yellow fever is not mandatory for the italian travelers, except for some rare cases, we can say that there are some recommended vaccinations. Among the recommended vaccines for an holiday in Tanzania we find: cholera, typhus, paratypus and some types of viral hepatitis
Protecting yourself from Malaria: the necessary prophylaxis
Malaria is a widespread problem in Africa, Latin America, Asia and other parts of the world. The name is linked to past beliefs that believed it was spread throughout the stagnant air near the marshes. Symptoms that usually appear 9 to 30 days after the sting are: high fever, migraine, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle aches and cough. For preventing the infection, a malaria prophylaxis is required: chemoprophylaxis, which is customized according to the country, the length of stay and the mode of travel. It is usually required to start the prophylaxis a week before the departure and must be continued for the entire time of stay. Despite prophylaxis, it’s good to remember that no treatment can be considered as a total protection. In case of doubts or suspicions of infection, the best thing to do is to contact a doctor or a hospital so that you can carry out specific exams and start a possible treatment.
A few more tips:
- Awareness. Traveling to a country where it is possible to contract it, because it’s considered as a risk area, must put you in a position to practice some precautions such as the prophylaxis.
- Prevention. Prevention is essential, making sure to try to keep mosquitoes away with specific repellents and long clothes is really important.
- Farnesina website. In case of doubts, in addition to ASL, you can check the Farnesina website, known as ViaggiareSicuri and find here specific information that you might need
For further information and advice, the best solution is to talk to your family doctor or to contact specialized doctors and websites related to the vaccination clinics, where you can find more information and competent staff who will be able to answer all your doubts and questions.
Do you still have doubts? You can contact ASL and ask for further information in order to have a complete and personalized picture based on your needs. Do not worry about the sanitary standards, the structures and the activities that are connected with the safari and trekking, because they manage to maintain the standards equivalent to those of the west.
