Health Risks and Vaccinations Guide for Expats
Yellow Fever
The only standing medical requirement when it comes to entering South African territory is proof of immunization again Yellow Fever. Yellow Fever is an acute viral disease, transmitted by mosquito bites, that is estimated to cause around 30,000 deaths every year, primarily in the tropical regions of Africa and South America.
You’ll only be asked to produce a Yellow Fever certificate if your travels have taken you through a yellow fever zone. As of 2008, the following countries were defined as carrying a risk of Yellow Fever transmission. Countries marked with a (*) are only considered endemic in certain areas. Contact your local health department to determine if your area is considered to be at risk of infection.
Africa
- Angola
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad *
- Congo, Republic of the
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad *
- Congo, Republic of the
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Equatorial Guinea Ethiopia
- Gabon
- The Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Kenya
- Liberia
- Mali *
- Mauritania *
- Niger *
- Nigeria
- Rwanda
- Sierra Leone
- São Tomé and Principe
- Senegal
- Somalia
- Sudan *
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Uganda
Central and South America
- Argentina *
- Bolivia *
- Brazil *
- Colombia
- Ecuador *
- French Guiana
- Guyana
- Panama *
- Paraguay
- Peru *
- Suriname
- Trinidad and Tobago *
- Venezuela *
Other Vaccinations
Vaccinations against Hepatitis A, polio and tetanus, while not legally required, are highly recommended. Vaccinations against Diptheria (DPT), Hepatitis B, Typhoid, Rabies and Cholera are recommended to people traveling from some regions. Contact an SAA Netcare travel clinic for information regarding your country.
Health Risks
Malaria
Malaria is considered a risk to people traveling to the north and north eastern parts of South Africa, where the subtropical climate makes for good spawning conditions for disease-carrying mosquitoes. Cape Town is not affected, but you might want to take precautions if you’re planning a cross-country road trip.
HIV
South Africa has more HIV cases by number than any other country on earth. In 2007, estimates found that around 18 per cent of all South Africans were infected with HIV/AIDS.
That said, levels of infection are vastly higher amongst rural African populations than amongst the primarily European and Oriental descendants of Cape Town. The reasons behind this are controversial. Current scientific opinion is that Africans are genetically more susceptible to the virus than Caucasians, primarily due to their not having undergone the genetic pre-selection of Europe’s Black Plague in the 14th Century. Whatever the reason, the point is that the figures above are probably not going apply to people you meet in a night club in Long Street or Claremont, among whom HIV infection will be relatively rare.
Nonetheless, if you are sexually active and looking for a partner in Cape Town, you’ll want to adhere to safe sex practices for at least the first six weeks of any relationship. After six weeks, you’ll be outside the window period during which HIV infection might go undetected, and can reasonably visit a clinic for couples testing.
Health 4 Men is a clinic that provides free and highly professional testing by qualified doctors. It’s located in the so-called ‘gayborhood’ of Green Point. Although it does market its services to gay men, the clinic also tests women, and provides a comfortable, reassuring environment in which to undergo the always nerve-racking experience of getting tested as a couple.
Testing takes around ten minutes, and requires only a single drop of blood. Book ahead, as the resident doctors run another, similar clinic in Woodstock, and keep somewhat irregular hours.
Address: 14 Cobern Street (off Somerset Road)
Green Point
Call 021 425 6463 or visit http://www.health4men.co.za.
