Thailand

General Info:

The information that appears on this website should be used to obtain general information on health risks and to consult information before traveling.

This information does not substitute a medical consultation under any circumstances. Ideally, travelers should see their health care provider four to six weeks before their trip. At the pretravel consultation, health risks will be assessed individually, taking into account the destination, trip duration, travel purpose, age, personal medical history and medications taken by the traveler.

There are risks that are relevant to all travelers regardless of their destination. Examples include traffic accidents and other types of accidents, diseases transmitted by insects and/or ticks, diseases transmitted by contaminated food and water, sexually transmitted infections, or health problems related to hot or cold weather.

All travelers should ensure they have adequate travel health insurance.

Vaccinations:

Travelers must be up to date with the vaccination corresponding to the vaccination schedule, whether for children or adults. These vaccines include, for example, the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and the diphtheria, tetanus, and poliomyelitis.

Some travelers, whether due to their age, work, lifestyle or underlying diseases, could be at greater risk of an infectious disease, so they must be up to date with additional recommended vaccinations.

Required Vaccines

There is no risk of yellow fever transmission in the whole country. In accordance with international health regulations, a yellow fever vaccination certificate is required ONLY for travelers aged over 9 months arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever and for travelers who have transited for more than 12 hours through an airport of a country with risk of yellow fever transmission.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of July 11, 2016 (for all countries) yellow fever vaccination is valid for life in the vaccinated person. Consequently, a valid certificate, presented by any traveler, cannot be refused because more than ten years have passed since the date the vaccination became effective (as indicated on the certificate). Therefore, boosters or revaccinations cannot be required.

Recommended Vaccines

The vaccinations that appear in this section are recommended for some of the travelers that visit this country. Such vaccines should be evaluated during the personalized pretravel consultation.

• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Tetanus-Diphtheria
• Typhoid Fever
• Japanese Encephalitis
• Rabies

Malaria:

There is low to no risk of malaria in the country. Depending on the characteristics of the trip, such as the duration and season of the year, offering preventive treatment for malaria will be considered. This treatment must be assessed and prescribed by a professional in the traveler's consultation according to the characteristics of each person.

To prevent malaria, it is necessary to take into account the following:

• Cover areas of the body exposed to mosquitoes with long pants,
  long-sleeved shirts, and socks.
• Avoid wearing dark-colored clothing because they attract mosquitoes.
• Apply insect repellent to exposed areas of the skin (neck, arms, and legs). Use repellents with a concentration of at least 30% IR3535 to protect against malaria, 20% to 50% DEET, 20% Icaridine, and 30% PMD.
• When staying in the risk area, always sleep under mosquito nets (preferably impregnated ones) or in air-conditioned rooms.

REMEMBER: If you have a fever, headache and/or tiredness during the trip or on your return (even if you are taking antimalarial medication), you should see a doctor as soon as possible, particularly one specialized in Tropical Medicine and International Health to rule out malaria

Other Risks:

Altitude Sickness

There are high altitude points. It is possible to suffer from altitude sickness in ascents higher than 2500m.

Arboviral Diseases

There is a risk of transmission of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika. They are viral infections transmitted by daytime and urban mosquitoes. They cause a flu-like illness, cases of severe dengue are rare in travelers. As a preventive measure, it is recommended to avoid mosquito bites, since there are no medications or vaccines. In case of fever, headache, and/or tiredness, you should see a doctor as soon as possible, especially a Center for Tropical Medicine and International Health.

Precautions against Zika virus and pregnancy:

• Pregnant women who plan to travel to areas with risk of Zika transmission should postpone the trip until after the pregnancy.
• Pregnancy should be avoided during the trip and up to 8 weeks after leaving the risk area. If a woman or her partner travel to an area where they have exposure to the virus, they should consider not having sex for at least 3 months, since Zika can be transmitted through sexual intercourse.
• If a woman has Zika symptoms, she should wait at least 2 months after her recovery to try to get pregnant.
• Pregnant women who visited this country or women who got pregnant 2 months after the trip should contact their family doctor, obstetrician and/or midwife as well as a tropical medicine specialist for appropriate follow-up, regardless of any symptoms.