Asia and Oceania

There have been confirmed human cases of the H1N1 virus (Swine Flu) in Australia.  You can check for updates on the situation in Australia by calling Australia’s Swine Flu Hotline on 1802 007, or by visiting the Australian Government’s Health Emergency website. 
 

Reciprocal medical arrangements exist between Australia and the UK.

Under the reciprocal agreement British nationals may have unforeseen emergency medical treatment under the Australian Medicare scheme.

Australian Medicare (not the British national health) provisions apply to British visitors to Australia, but other British nationals (for example those who are studying in Australia) are not covered by the same Medicare provisions.

You should check Medicare Australia for further details.

There are also other exclusions under the reciprocal agreement such as treatment for pre-existing medical conditions, pharmaceuticals when not a hospital in-patient, use of ambulance services and medical evacuations. The latter, in particular, is very expensive. See the General (Insurance) section of this advice for more details on insurance.

 

Dengue, Murray Valley Encephalitis (MVE) and Ross River Fever occur in northern parts of Australia (the Northern Territory, Northern Queensland and northern Western Australia). All three viruses are transmitted by mosquitoes. There is no vaccination against them, but there are preventative measures that you can take, as advised on the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) website. The dengue season officially begins each February.  By early April 2009 this year’s outbreak of dengue fever in northern Queensland had led to over 900 confirmed cases in and around Cairns and Townsville.  One elderly lady in Cairns died from dengue-related complications in early March.  Scientists are also concerned that the dengue mosquito could re-establish itself in the more populous areas of south east Queensland.  A man died from MVE in Darwin in late March.

Much of Australia is experiencing the worst whooping cough (pertussis) outbreak in many years. Babies are the main victims of the potentially fatal and highly infectious disease, because they are too young to be (fully) immunized. South Australia is experiencing its worst outbreak on record, with almost 3,500 cases in 2009, compared with 859 at the same time in 2008 and 318 in 2007. National statistics show the rate in South Australia is twice as high as the national average. Queensland Health has also warned of two to three times the normal level of cases. The number of cases nationally is at its highest level in four years. There were over 3,300 cases in New South Wales in January and February 2009 compared to 448 cases in the same period last year. A four-week old NSW baby who died in March was the first fatality from the disease in a decade. For more information, see the NSW Health website.  Since then it is reported that two other children have died.

There has also been a higher than normal incidence of cryptosporidiosis, a diarrhoeal disease caused by a parasitic infection of the intestine, in New South Wales. NSW Health reported 201 cases in February 2009, compared to 106 cases in January and 45 cases in December 2008. The highest rates of infections were in children under five.  For more information, visit the NSW Health website, as above.

 

In the 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic the UNAIDS/WHO Working Group estimated that around 18,000 adults aged 15 or over in Australia were living with HIV; the prevalence rate was estimated at around 0.2% of the adult population. This compares to the prevalence rate in adults in the UK of around 0.2%.  You should exercise normal precautions to avoid exposure to HIV/AIDS. For more general information on how to do this see HIV and AIDS.

 

You should seek medical advice before travelling to Australia and ensure that all appropriate vaccinations are up-to-date.  For further information on vaccination requirements, health outbreaks and general disease protection and prevention you should visit the websites of the National Travel Heath Network and Centre NaTHNaC or NHS Scotland’s Fit for Travel or call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.

 

For more general health information see Travel Health,  Swine Flu and the UK Department of Health website and, for food/drink hygiene see Eat and Drink Safely.