Register your overseas travel and/or residential details here.
This website provides general tips, and links to sources of official advice. We cannot provide personal health advice. We urge you to seek health advice for your particular circumstances from a medical practitioner.
Main sources of official advice are the World Health Organisation, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the New Zealand Ministry of Health, and the New Zealand Accident Compensation Commission (ACC). Your medical practitioner should have access to other current sources of information.
There has been a recent upsurge in dengue fever cases in some parts of the South Pacific (Tonga, New Caledonia, Kiribati and Palau) and in South America (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). Dengue fever is a serious viral disease spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes. As there is no vaccine to protect against dengue fever, travellers are advised to use insect repellent, wear protective clothing, and stay in lodgings where there are mosquito screens on windows and doors. If you feel unwell during your trip or in the first two weeks after your return, you are advised to seek immediate medical advice.
Forward planning and careful precautions can reduce the risks of health problems during your travel.
“Travellers are more likely to be killed or injured in accidents or through violence than to be struck down by an exotic infectious disease. Traffic accidents are the most frequent cause of death among travellers. Traffic accidents and violence are significant risks in many countries, particularly developing countries, where skilled medical care may not be readily available. Accidents and injuries also occur in other settings, particularly in recreational waters in association with swimming, diving, sailing and other activities. Travellers can reduce the possibility of incurring these risks through awareness of the dangers and by taking the appropriate precautions.” External link to WHO International travel and health publication.
Six to eight weeks before you travel, you should consult your doctor about:
Your doctor should be able to provide you with the advice you need for your particular circumstances, and provide you with up to date travel health advice based on official and unofficial sources.
Different countries have different rules on the types of medications you can bring with you into the country when you travel. If you need to take medications with you, you should check the regulations that apply in the country you are travelling to. To do this, contact the Embassy or High Commission of that country [external link].
If you are travelling with large quantities of medication, ask your doctor, dentist or pharmacist to give you a letter explaining why you are carrying the medication.
You may be eligible for ACC assistance for injuries received as a result of an accident overseas. You must be "ordinarily resident" in New Zealand. ACC does not cover illness, nor can it pay for treatment provided outside New Zealand unless the injury is a work-related personal injury (limits apply).
For information on ACC services and how to make a claim see the ACC website [external link].
If a family member dies while travelling overseas as a result of an accident, you can make a claim to ACC. See Accidental Death [external link] for information on how ACC can help and how to make a claim.
If you have an accident or fall ill while you are overseas medical costs can be enormous.
You should ensure you have comprehensive medical insurance to cover medical costs overseas, as well as repatriation costs.
Make sure your insurance policy covers any activities you are planning to undertake because many policies exclude activities such as climbing and scuba diving.
You should also make sure you are covered for pre-existing conditions – whether physical or psychiatric – and, if necessary, purchase specific cover for these.
Talk to your insurance provider about the details of your policy before you travel.
New Zealand has reciprocal healthcare agreements with Australia and the United Kingdom. For details on these visit:
Malaria occurs in many tropical and subtropical areas. It is present in large – but not all – areas of Central and South America, Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and the South Pacific.
Dengue Fever occurs in most tropical countries of the South Pacific, Asia, the Caribbean, the Americas and Africa.
Find out more from the World Health Organisation [external link] or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [external link].
Page last updated: Wednesday, 25 June 2008, 15:06 NZST
