* A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over one year of age coming from infected areas. Those arriving in transit from such areas without a certificate will be detained at the airport until their onward flight departs.

Use only bottled water for drinking and brushing teeth and check the seal of the bottle is intact. Avoid unbottled beverages and ice except in top hotels and restaurants. Milk is unpasteurised and should be boiled. Avoid uncooked vegetables and peeled fruit that may have been washed in tap water.

Immunisation against polio is advised because of the persistence of polio in Egypt. Precautions against hepatitis E should be considered. Immunisation against hepatitis B and tuberculosis is sometimes advised. Bilharzia (schistosomiasis) is present in the Nile Delta and the Nile Valley; avoid swimming and wading in fresh water.

Public hospitals are open to tourists. The standard of care is good in Cairo and Alexandria but is of varying standard in other parts of the country. Health care provision and standards of hygiene is lacking in remote rural areas, particularly in the Western Desert oases. Health insurance is strongly advised.