India Travel Guide - Health

* Any person (including infants over six months old) arriving by air or sea from an infected country must obtain a yellow fever certificate (includes passengers who have been transit in a country in the endemic zone).

Water for drinking, brushing teeth or making ice should first be boiled or otherwise sterilised. Milk is often unpasteurised and should be boiled. Avoid dairy products  likely to have been made from unboiled milk. Only eat well-cooked meat and fish. Vegetables should be cooked and fruit peeled.

Vaccinations are sometimes advised for Hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis and tuberculosis. There was an outbreak of dengue fever in 2006. There have also been reports of Chikungunya virus in Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Pondicherry, and Tamil Nadu. Travellers should protect themselves against mosquito bites.

Note: All visitors aged between 18 and 70 years of age who are wishing to extend their visa for one year or more are required to take an AIDS test.

Health care facilities are limited and travellers are strongly advised to take out full comprehensive medical insurance before departing for India. It is advisable to bring specific medicines from the UK. There are state-operated facilities in all towns and cities and private consultants and specialists in urban areas.

On leaving India: Visitors leaving for countries which impose health restrictions on arrivals from India are required to be in possession of a valid certificate of inoculation and vaccination.