Asia and Oceania

The standard of local medical care in Indonesia can be poor and some medical tests cannot be done reliably.  Good medical care can be very expensive and in remote areas attention for serious injuries or illness is likely to be unobtainable. You may require expensive medical evacuation costing up to tens of thousands of pounds.  Therefore you should ensure your policy covers you for medical evacuation by air ambulance. 

Indonesia suffers from periodic problems with air quality reaching hazardous levels because of seasonal smoke haze from forest fires. You are advised to check news reports and follow local advice.

Dengue, chikungunya and malaria occur in Indonesia. These diseases are transmitted by mosquitoes. There are no vaccinations against these diseases, but there are preventative measures that you can take, as advised on the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) website. You should visit your GP to discuss malaria prevention tablets.

There is a risk of rabies throughout Indonesia, in particular in Bali. In December 2008, local officials reported an outbreak of rabies in Bali, following a small number of deaths in the village of Ungasan in Uluwatu district (Badung Regency).  In 2009, the presence of rabies was also confirmed in the Kutah area of Bali and in Pecatu village, near Nusa Dur. Sanglah Hospital in Bali has prepared a special area to treat people suspected of being exposed to the rabies virus and doctors in other clinics in Bali have been trained to care for potential victims. A small number of deaths, from rabies, at Sanglah Hospital have been reported in 2009.  For further information about rabies see the NaTHNaC website.

In the 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic the UNAIDS/WHO Working Group estimated that around 270,000 adults aged 15 or over in Indonesia 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 our HIV and AIDS page.

You should seek medical advice before travelling to Indonesia 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 Health 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 our Travel health page and for food/drink hygiene see our Eat and drink safely page.

A (H1N1) - Swine Flu

There is a dedicated Swine Flu page. Guidance on Pandemic Flu can be obtained on the UK Department of Health website.

Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)

There have been outbreaks of Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) in commercial and backyard poultry and a small number of pig farms in Indonesia. Infected birds have been found in all of Indonesia's 33 provinces (in February 2009 in Badung, the southernmost regency of Bali) with the exception of Gorontolo and North Maluku and there are ongoing outbreaks.  Indonesia has more confirmed cases of human fatalities than any other country with over 100 reported fatalities (February 2009).  Most human cases had direct contact with sick/dead poultry or were exposed to environments with recent outbreaks of the virus.  

The WHO have confirmed that the deaths of seven members of one family in the TanaKaro district of North Sumatra in May 2006, were likely to be the result of limited, non-sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus.  However, to date, there has been no evidence of widespread or sustained human-to-human transmission in Indonesia.

The risk to humans from Avian Influenza is believed to be very low.  However, as a precaution, you should avoid visiting live animal markets, poultry farms and other places where you may come into close contact with domestic, caged or wild birds; and ensure poultry and egg dishes are thoroughly cooked.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned of the possibility that the Avian Influenza outbreaks could lead at some point to a human flu pandemic, if the virus mutates to a form, which is easily transmissible between people.

British nationals living longer term in an Avian-Influenza affected region should speak to their employers about any pandemic influenza contingency plans which they may have in place and take personal responsibility for their own safety in the event of a future pandemic, including considering their access to essential supplies and adequate healthcare and ensuring travel documents are up to date.

 

You should read this advice in conjunction with our Avian and Pandemic Influenza page, which gives more detailed advice and information.