With the exception of Yellow Fever, for those travelling
from an infected area, there are no vaccinations are required as a condition of
entry into Laos. The decision to avoid medical precautions should either be
based on medical advice from your practitioner, or personal acceptance of
risk.
If planning to travel without medical protection, it
may also be prudent to check for pre-qualifying conditions with regard to
ignoring medical advice in your travel insurance policy.
Currently recommended vaccinations are Tetanus,
Hepatitis A and B, Japanese encephalitis, Polio, Rabies and Typhoid, with
a course of anti-malarials also highly advised.
Providing visitors exercise good personal hygiene, there
are minimal risks from disease in Laos, but precautions against malaria are
vital. As Dengue Fever and Japanese encephalitis are also borne by mosquitoes,
it is advised to use repellents and wear long sleeves and trousers at
vulnerable times and places.
Visitors should avoid drinking tap water, or water from
the wild, and should use only bottled water, even for brushing teeth. In common
with many other parts of the world, it pays to examine the bottle top seals of
bottled water to ensure these have not been re-filled by unscrupulous traders.
For those unfamiliar with travel in the planet’s tropical
regions, special attention should be given to the possibility of dehydration,
sunstroke and sunburn. Always drink plenty of water and wear a high factor
sunscreen and bear in mind that it is possible to suffer from considerable
sunburn even on completely overcast days, particularly in the first few days of
your trip.
Although there are pharmacies in Laos, and it is often
possible to get medicines over the counter that would require a prescription at
home, please be aware that products, including condoms, can often be poor
quality, counterfeit or out of date.