Sub Saharan Africa

Medical facilities are poor in Sierra Leone.  The emergency service response in Freetown is very slow and unreliable.  Outside the capital you should assume that there would be no emergency service response if you get into medical difficulty.  You should carry basic medical supplies.  

Rabies, lassa fever, water-borne diseases, malaria and other tropical diseases are common to Sierra Leone. Vaccination against yellow fever (which is required to enter Guinea) is strongly advised.  

Lassa fever can be contracted in Kenema and the east.  If you have travelled in this region you should seek urgent medical advice if you suffer from any fever not positively identified as malaria.  

Cholera remains a problem, there are infrequent outbreaks. You should drink or use only boiled or bottled water and avoid ice in drinks. There can be water shortages in the Freetown area especially at the end of the dry season (March to June). If you suffer from diarrhoea during a visit to Sierra Leone you should seek immediate medical attention.

In the 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic the UNAIDS/WHO Working Group estimated that around 51,000 adults aged 15 or over in Sierra Leone were living with HIV; the prevalence rate was estimated at around 1.7% 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 Sierra Leone 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) and NHS Scotland's Fit For Travel or call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.

For more general health information see Travel Health.