2 Vital Health-Related Tasks To Complete Before You Leave For Your Bali Holiday
Bali is an incredibly popular destination for Australian holidaymakers. The beautiful scenery, rich culture and friendly people coupled with the close proximity to Australia and inexpensive travel costs mean that well over a million Aussies visit the island each year.
Unfortunately, it's not always cocktails and relaxing for many visitors. Many people become unwell during their Bali trip, usually caused by gastrointestinal illnesses from foods and drinks or exposure to exotic diseases such as malaria, rabies and dengue fever. Here are two important things you should do before you head off to Bali to ensure the only thing you come home with is a suntan.
1. Visit a travel doctor for vaccines
As well as being up to date with your vaccine schedule for common illnesses such as diphtheria, measles and tetanus, you should also make an appointment with a travel doctor. They can discuss your travel plans, check that your regular vaccine schedule is up to date and administer any extra vaccines that are recommended for travel to Bali.
Vaccines are the best way to protect yourself from serious communicable diseases that can cause serious illness and even death. It's important to have them done well before you travel so that your body has enough time to develop antibodies and immunity before you arrive in Bali.
Many tropical illnesses are carried by insects, particularly mosquitoes. Take a good quality insect repellent with a high DEET concentration with you to avoid mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria.
2. Educate yourself about safe eating and drinking
In many countries, health and safety regulations aren't as stringent as they are in Australia, and neither is water supply quality. Making sure that you know how to eat and drink safely is very important if you want to avoid serious gastrointestinal sickness, commonly known as 'Bali Belly'. A case of this kind of sickness can not only ruin your holiday, it can also put your life at risk.
As a rule, you should stick with bottled water for drinking and for brushing your teeth. Avoid ice in drinks in restaurants and bars that may have been made using contaminated water. Make sure that any food you consume has been washed thoroughly and that meat and seafood has been cooked through.
Your travel doctor can provide you with more information on this subject. They can also recommend medications that you should have with you in case the worst case scenario occurs. This will include anti-nausea and anti-diarrhea medication as well as products to aid in rehydration.
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