Health in Turkey
Turkish
main cities are well covered with hospitals and private clinics available
at reasonable costs. In rural areas and the east of the country, health
services are less developed. The majority health cares services have
bilingual professional and speak a foreign language. Medical facilities
and standard of health care are not high in state hospitals and private
health insurance is highly recommended.
It is recommended
receive inoculations for Polio and Typhoid before travelling to Turkey.
Also there is a risk of malaria in the south-eastern, but there are
no reports of infection in main tourist areas.
Some cases of bird flu have been reported in northern, eastern and central Turkey, but there is no evidence of the virus passing between humans.
To entry to the country there are no vaccination requirements, but is recommended to take care before to go to the country.
Water in the country are treat with chlorine, but to avoid any type of stomachic upset is recommended bottled water for drinking. Food from street vendors should be consumed with caution.
Health
Precautions for Travelers to Turkey
To reduce health risks visiting Turkey is recommended consider the following
precautionary health measures.
Take your malaria prevention medication before, during, and after travel, as
directed
Mosquito and insect bite prevention
Avoid drinking non-treated water - try drink only bottled water.
Eat only cooked food or fruits and vegetables you have peeled yourself.
to prevent fungal and parasitic infections, keep feet clean and dry, and do not
walk barefoot.
Avoid eat food from street vendors.
To avoid rabies try to not handle animals especially monkeys, dogs, and cats.
Use sun block and take sunglasses and a hat.
Hamam - If you haven't been to one, you've missed one
of life's great experiences and never been clean. You can catch your
inner peace with history and water in a bath (hamam). See hamams in Istanbul.
Bird flu - There have been reports of an outbreak
of avian influenza in Turkey, with 12 reported cases with 4 deaths
(as of February 2006) in rural areas and villages - none of them in
Istanbul or any major tourist city. The virus mainly affects birds
and cross-infection to humans is still relatively rare. It usually
occurs where people have been in close contact with infected animals.
The World Health Organization has a website on the bird flu and does
not recommend any restrictions on travel to any areas affected by avian
influenza. WHO recommends however, that "travellers to affected
areas should avoid contact with live animal markets and poultry farms,
and any free-ranging or caged poultry." There is no evidence that
properly cooked poultry or poultry products can be a source of infection.
You may consider taking your regular "human" flu shot before
travelling, as it reduces opportunities for the virus to reassort during
co-infection of a human with both avian and human influenza viruses.
Water safety - However tempting it may be on a hot day, try to avoid water from public water tanks and fountains (sadirvan), frequently found in the vicinity of mosques. Also, though tap water is always chlorinated, it is better to drink only bottled water. Supermarkets always provide the same brands of water cheaper than kiosks or little stalls. If you have no chance of
finding
bottled water –for example,
in wilderness, up in the eastern highlands- always boil your water;
if you have no chance of boiling the water, use chlorine tablets
–which can be provided from pharmacies in big cities-, or devices
like LifeStraw. Also avoid swimming in fresh water, which you are
not sure about its purity, and at seawater in or near the big cities
–unless a beach which is declared safe to swim exists. And
lastly, afterall, be cautious about water, not paranoid.
Public restrooms - Though many main squares and
streets in the cities have a public restroom, if you cannot manage
to find one,
look for the nearest mosque, where you will see a public restroom in
a corner of, or below its courtyard. Despite the fact that there is no
shortage of cheap toilet papers anywhere in the country, however, you
are unlikely to find toilet paper in almost any of the public restrooms
(except lavatories of restaurants –including the road restaurants, hotels
and most of the cafés and bars, of course). Instead, you are likely
to find bidét or a faucet. So it is a good idea to have a roll
of toilet paper in your backpack during your walkings for sightseeing.
In the better places on the road in the country there are rest rooms
that are maintained and an attendent ready to collect YTL.50 to YTL 1.
from the tourist for the privilege of using one.
Pharmacies - There are pharmacies (eczane in Turkish)
in all cities and many towns. Pharmacies are open from 08:30 until 19:00
(07:00 pm), however every town has at least one drugstore on duty overnight
(nöbetçi eczane), all other pharmacies in the town usually
display its name, address and telephone numbers on their windows.