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A dirt road in Gambia

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Gambia health care and vaccinations

Vaccination identifier Special precautions
Diphtheria

Sometimes
Hepatitis A

Sometimes
Malaria

Yes
Rabies

Sometimes
Tetanus

Yes
Typhoid

Sometimes
Yellow Fever

Sometimes*

* A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from all travellers over one year of age arriving from endemic or infected areas. Travellers arriving from non-endemic zones should note that vaccination is strongly recommended for travel outside the urban areas, even if an outbreak of the disease has not been reported and they would not normally require a vaccination certificate to enter the country.

Visitors are advised to bring sunscreen, insect repellent and indigestion/diarrhoea medicines; all of these can prove expensive in The Gambia. The government plays a dominant role in health services but private practices exist in the urban and resort areas. Health insurance is strongly advised. Prescription drugs should be carried in labelled containers.

Food and drink: 

Mains water in the urban and resort areas is safe. Elsewhere, water for drinking, brushing teeth or making ice should be boiled or otherwise sterilised. Fresh milk should be boiled if unpasteurised; powdered or tinned milk is preferable. Avoid unpasteurised dairy products. Meat, fish and vegetables should be cooked, and fruit peeled.

Other risks: 

Diarrhoeal diseases including giardiasis are common. Bilharzia (schistosomiasis) is present; avoid swimming and paddling in stagnant fresh water. Hepatitis E is widespread. Hepatitis B is endemic. Cholera is a risk, and up-to-date advice should be sought on the most suitable precautions.

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