Health Concerns When Travelling in Turkey

Turkey’s diverse culture, delicious cuisine, and beautiful weather makes it a popular destination for tourists. But before packing your case, be sure to equip yourself to face the diseases in the area. Not everyone who visits the country becomes ill, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Before visiting Turkey travellers should receive vaccinations for the following diseases:

Hepatitis A
Typhoid
Hepatitis B
Rabies
Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)
Tetanus-diphtheria
Visit your doctor around 4-6 weeks before you plan to travel to be sure of maximum protection.

Hepatitis A and typhoid fever are common in all Middle Eastern countries; in 2007 an outbreak of typhoid fever hit the village of Bascatak in Eastern Turkey. Try to avoid drinking tap-water; even in Dalaman hotels, it’s advisable to go for bottled water instead.

Malaria is also rife in the South and South-eastern provinces, but luckily none of the strains are resistant to the common anti-malarial drug chloroquine. Unfortunately it can be difficult to avoid mosquitos (as my partner and I learned on a recent trip to Sardinia) so ensure that you prepare yourself by bringing plenty of chloroquine, using insect repellent such as citronella, and sleeping in an air conditioned room with mosquito nets fitted around the bed.

Carrying your own medical kit is helpful as traveller’s diarrhoea can occur. Although this unpleasant illness usually clears up itself after a few days, there are a few measures you can take if it is ruining your trip. Keep yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of water, and if possible take medication such as immodium. If your diarrhoea is bloody, it’s time to visit the hospital as this is a sign of bacterial infection and requires antibiotics.

The quality of Turkey’s hospitals varies greatly. In Ankara, Antalya and Istanbul hospitals all have modern equipment and English speaking specialists. They still might be unable to treat serious conditions however, so it is advisable to keep up to date with immunisations before embarking on your trip. If you do find yourself in a hospital, you will need comprehensive travel insurance so that you can be treated. This is another thing that must be arranged before you leave.

If you require prescription drugs be sure to bring enough with you to last for your entire trip. It can be difficult, if not impossible, to acquire these whilst you are in the country. This is despite the fact that many hospitals and pharmacies are very well-equipped, it’s simply just safer to bring what you need with you. After all, the last thing you want to do is spend half your holiday trying to communicate in broken Turkish what kind of medication you require.

Despite all of these concerns, Turkey is a wonderful place to visit and one that attracts thousands of tourists every year. There is beautiful year round sunshine and the food is some of the best in the world.

Health concerns particularly those related to drinking water are something to consider and factor into your holiday but not necessarily something to stop you visiting Turkey or worrying about during your holiday. As they say, better safe than sorry.