Health Issues for Trekking in Nepal

This advice is from the Lonely Planet Nepal guide mixed with my own personal experience. You must ask your doctor what is suitable for you; it may not be the same.

Before You Leave:

Diphtheria and Tetanus boosters

Polio booster

Hepatitis A – Twinrix covers for Hep A and B.

Typhoid

Meningococcal Meningitis - not the strain, which youngsters in Australia catch, but the international strain.

You don’t need a Rabies cover. However, if a monkey wants your fruit – let him have it.

Anti-malarials are not necessary for my part of the journey. However, if you're going on to the southern part of Nepal, say the Chitwan National Park you will need to consider your individual requirements and know when to start taking them.

You need a good supply of your own medication and a clearly written script to identify the drugs to customs, etc. Know the generic name of what you take – the brand name you are used to may not be available in Nepal.

ON TREK:

Your personal water bottle will often be filled by our lodge-owners with filtered, boiled water - but not always. Choose a water purification system you can live with – either iodine (crystals are best) or Micro-Pur (chlorine). I prefer the ‘swimming pool’ flavour of chlorine and it is handy to use.

Don’t eat the ice-cream!

You may need drugs for ‘tummy trouble’ although I had no problems the first three trips to Nepal. Flagyll for Giardia is very effective but the usual culprit is bacterial and Norfloxacin (sold as Noroxin) is very effective.

They are both widely available in the larger towns in Nepal (check the use-by dates) and we will do a ‘pharmacy run’ the day before we set off on trek. Giardia lets you know its coming with stomach cramps whereas bacterial infections are sometimes described as ‘sudden onset’ diarrhoea, so it is fairly simple to identify the culprit and treat it straight away. Blockers such as Lomotil are for emergency use only such as unavoidable bus trips. If you have a bug inside you the last thing you want to do is lock the gate. Modern antibiotics andplenty of fluids will usually fix the problem in 24 hours.

These modern drugs are very effective so don’t be put off at the prospect of an upset tummy. Its more likely to be an inconvenience than a real drama.

There are drugs for altitude sickness. I’ve never used them. We go up so slowly we are in no danger of getting sick. There is also the issue of masking the symptoms of altitude sickness with drugs. Better to listen to your body and stay down till you feel better and go down even lower if you don’t. This works. We have enough time in our itinerary for the odd ‘sickie" .

Women still menstruating will need to take their sanitary needs into account. Western style pads and tampons are available in town but are very expensive on trek. I once paid $9 for a small box of tampons in Jomsom.

A small personal first-aid kit is useful. Band-Aids and antiseptic ointment could be useful for minor accidents. I recommend you read Lonely Planet Nepal for more details.

Good sunscreen is a must and is widely available on trek. Aerogard or similar is worth including. We are sharing the trail with mules and yaks.

Hope all this doesn’t put anyone off. Armed with this information you should have a healthy trek. Chances are that trekking in Nepal will make you feel healthier than you have ever been in your life. That has been my experience. All that walking will keep you regular and you’ll sleep like a baby.

Cheers!
TERESA