Travel Health: South Africa
Current British foreign office advice
We strongly recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling, including cover for medical evacuation. You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for the activities you want to undertake, especially extreme adventure sports or wildlife activities. Remember that failure to declare a medical condition could render a policy invalid.
South Africa and the sub-Saharan region of Africa have a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. South Africa actively promotes an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign, but given the high level of HIV/AIDS, you should seek immediate medical advice if you are sexually assaulted or otherwise injured.
Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis is present in all parts of South Africa.
Malaria is prevalent in parts of Mpumalanga, Limpopo province and KwaZulu-Natal (particularly the Wetlands area around St Lucia). Before travelling to these areas, including Kruger Park, you should seek medical advice on suitable anti-malarial medication and take precautions to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. More than three-quarters of British travellers who contracted malaria in 2005 did not take preventive measures, such as malaria prevention tablets. However, malaria can occur despite appropriate prevention, and therefore you should promptly seek medical care in the event of a fever or flu-like illness in country or in the first year following your return from travelling to a malaria risk country. Before travelling you should seek medical advice about the malaria risk in South Africa.
Main destinations
Cape Town
Kruger Park
Johannesburg
Sun City
St Lucia
Garden Route
Durban
Pretoria
By Province
Eastern Cape
Free State
Gauteng
KwaZulu-Natal
Limpopo
Mpumalanga
Northern Cape
North West Province
Western Cape
Measles outbreaks occur from time to time in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces.
South Africa
Cities
Cape Town
Johannesburg
Durban
Pretoria
Port Elizabeth
Attractions
Kruger National Park
Garden Route
St Lucia
Drakensberg
Wild Coast
Battlefields
Sun City & Pilanesberg
Provinces
Eastern Cape
Free State
Gauteng
KwaZulu-Natal
Limpopo
Mpumalanga
Northern Cape
North West province
Western Cape
Rabies is endemic in most African countries, although only a few human cases are reported annually in South Africa. The rabies virus is transmitted through the saliva of infected animals and transmitted to humans through bites, scratches or contact of saliva with broken skin and can be fatal once symptoms manifest themselves. All travellers who have possibly been exposed to the rabies virus, whether by bites, scratches or other exposure, should seek medical advice without delay (even if pre-exposure vaccine was received). This also applies to travellers in low risk areas in case other animal-transmitted infections are present, or the animal may have strayed across the border from an endemic country. More information can be found on the National Travel Health Network and Centre: (NaTHNaC website.).
You should seek medical advice before travelling and ensure that all appropriate vaccinations are up-to-date. For further information on health, check the Department of Health website at: www.dh.gov.uk.