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8. Health
You probably
won’t get more than the shits and
conjunctivitis. There are a couple of well-equipped
(i.e. expensive) clinics in Kathmandu and Pokhara, get
some health inn-sewerants and make sure you’re
covered for heli-rescue. You won’t want to
spend any time in the hospitals for local people, from
what I heard from some UK medics doing voluntary work
there. If you need major surgery then you will
probably have to head for Bangkok, the Middle East or
even home.
8.1 Jabs
Hep.A, Polio, Tetanus, Typhoid,
Meningitis. You probably don’t want or need to
have Japanese B-Encephalitis, Hep.B or Rabies jabs,
unless you plan to travel in India or S.E. Asia after
Nepal.
8.2 Malaria
There are mosquitoes in Kathmandu
immediately after the monsoon, this can really piss you
off in your hotel room/shower. It might be worth
taking a box of mosquito coils and a bottle of DEET with
you. On the riverside it can be pretty bad early in
the season, cover up and use lots of DEET.
According to my GP, malaria is present in Nepal
"below 1000 meters altitude" which means along
all the rivers you’re likely to run. Later in
the season there’s no problem. I don’t
think it’s worth taking preventative malaria tablets
but it may be worth carrying the "cure" dose of
(e.g.) mefloquine with you instead. You can get a
malaria test in Kathmandu if you need one.
8.3 The D-Plan Diet
(a.k.a. the Kali Quickstep, Shiva’s Shuffle etc)
You will almost certainly get the
shits during your trip. Don’t drink tap water
unless it’s got iodine in it, and don’t even
think about going on a river trip without a packet of
Immodium-a-like because if you’re having to go for a
shit 4 times an hour then you won’t relish the
18-hour busride back from the Sun Kosi. The chapter
in WW Nepal is good for drugs and doses,
you’ll probably get very used to swallowing
antibiotics (see section 8.5). If you get very sick
then it’s probably not a bad idea to have a stool
test done in one of the clinics in Kathmandu or Pokhara,
so you can get the correct drugs for whichever bug you
have.
8.4 AMS (Altitude
sickness)
On a kayaking holiday, you’re
unlikely to go much above 2000m, so AMS isn’t a
worry. However, the rules are: take it steady
above 3000 meters, "don’t go too high, too
fast". Some people take Diamox (basically a
diuretic drug) to "prevent" AMS.
It’s not good for you, don’t do it.
Instead, drink lots of water as you climb, take time to
acclimatise, and read up on AMS if you plan to go up into
the hills. The info from the Himalayan Rescue
Association in Kathmandu is very good, the HRA is worth a
visit even if you don’t go trekking.
8.5 Medicines
Anything you want, you can get in
Kathmandu without prescription, including anti-malarials,
and valium. There are loads of pharmacies in the
"shopping" area between Durbar Square and
Thamel. All medicines are dirt cheap. Buy
these:
Loperamide
Hydrochloride (i.e. Immodium)
Norfloxacin
(antibiotic against the shits in general and the
D-plan diet in particular)
Cyprofloxacin
(as above, smaller dosage required)
Flagyl (gets
rid of giardia - watch the dosage as it’s
not too good for your liver)
Chloramphenicol
eyedrops or similar (for conjunctivitis which you
may well get on the river)
Temgesic
(serious opiate painkiller - if you’ve
broken your back then you’ll want to stick
one of these under your tongue and pass out until
the helicopter arrives)
Valium (for
long busrides: 1 or 2 mg will make you
sleep, 10 mg if your buddy has dislocated his
shoulder and you need to stop spasm before you
reset it…)
Most medicines
you’ll find are Indian-made, watch for the
manufacture date on the packaging. Check blister
packs for damage before you buy, and store gently as they
can be fragile. Ending up with six different white
tablets washing around in your kit when you have the runs
is not funny.
Don’t forget to
take a sterile kit with syringes, needles & catheter
with you from the UK. URBAN LEGEND WARNING: There is apparently a thriving industry in
Delhi which recycles hospital waste to provide washed-out
syringes and even rinsed-and-dried cotton-wool swabs for
use in the hospitals in North India and Nepal.
Nice.
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1. Disclaimer 2. Guidebooks
3.
Flying with your kayak
4.
Arrival
5.
Staying in Kathmandu
6.
Hey, friend, youwanna changemoney?
7.
Food & drink
8.
Health
9.
Bureaucracy
10.
Post, Phone & email
11.
Getting "work" boating
12.
Some Rivers
13.
Getting around
14.
Stuff to do when you’re not on the river
15.
Things you will need…
16.
Photography
17.
Psst! Hashhash? marijuana?
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