Health Level in Peru
From Wiki Sumaq Peru
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General Advice
The Water and Beverages
In the case of the Water in Peru it is necessary to have certain considerations, like not drinking water without boiling since many diseases can be transmitted through water specially the diarrhea that is not nice at all. keep in mind these advices:
- Drink only mineral water or previously boiled. In Peru you can obtain to mineral water in any store or kiosko by S/.1.00.
- Hot drinks (Coffee, Tea, Made of Coca) only if they have been boiled the sufficient time.
- The prepared refreshments try that they are opened in front of you so that you can make sure of his source.
- Do not wash your teeth with water from the faucet since it is not drinking water, do it preferably with mineral water (bottled).
Processing the water
In the case that you cannot obtain Mineral water or drinking water you will have to make it drinkable for yourself, you can do it with these methods:
- Use the tablets waters-treatment plant. Many tourists prefer to use these tablets since they are safer. These are tablets of Hipoclorito sodium or iodine derivatives.
- Boil it very well, until the boiling point and do not add ice. Make sure that is well boiled and keep in mind that over the 3000 meters (10,000 feet) the water takes more time in reaching the boiling point, so you will have to wait a little more to kill all the bacteria.
- To purify the water you can also use nourishing lye. You must add from 2 to 3 drops of nourishing Lye (Hipoclorito sodium without detergent nor perfumes). Wait 30 minutes to 1 hour before consuming it.
Food
In the case of the meals there are certain particularities that you should take into account for example:
- Have special care with meats, make sure that are well cooked in the center.
- About the Fruits, try to peel them yourself and try to avoid the Melon since there is a bacteria inside this fruit.
- The cold salads are a risk, consume them in restaurants with a good level.
- In some towns people elaborate ice creams by hand (that is to say, not industrialized) only consume them if you have the certainty that they were elaborated with drinking water.
- Avoid eating on the street vendors. These Street Vendors are called “Ambulantes” and do not consume their products even if you are very hungry. Many Peruvians do not consume their products since it does damage them!
- Keep always your nails small and clean.
Food and beverages - Peruvian Cuisine
The Peruvian cuisine has many varieties and diverse tastes which varies in the coast, mountain range and forest. In some cases usually is very sharp, it is for that reason that is recomendable that you ask what the ingredients are and what the preparation is, in order to be sure.
In the case of drinks you should not forget to try our "Pisco Sour" elaborated with the ardent water of Peru “the Pisco”, and also the drink of the Incas “Chica of jora”, chicha Morada, etc.
In Lima and the most important cities there are international food restaurants.
Drugstores
In Peru there are pharmaceutical chains located in Lima and in the main cities, they offer a very well service to very economic prices, in addition many of these chains offer "delivery" service.
The most important ones are:
- Pharmacies Hollywood
- Inkafarma
- Pharmacies BTL.- This Pharmacies offer the delivery service in many cities like in: Arequipa (20-2044), Cajamarca (36-5131), Chiclayo (20-5419), Chincha (26-2525), Cuzco (24-2044), Huacho (239-1213), Huancayo (21-8668), Huanuco (51-8484), Huaral (246-3939), Huaraz (42-1636), Ica (22-7179), Iquitos (22-4789), Juliaca (32-6017), Lima (612-5000), Pasco (42-2655), Pucallpa (59-2222), Sullana (50-7702), Tacna (24-9132), Tarapoto (52-2506), Tingo Maria (56-1222), Trujillo (29-9900).
- Pharmacies Fasa.- are found located in Lima, Piura, Lambayeque, La Libertad, Ancash, Junin, Ica and Arequipa.
Traveller's diseases
There are many diseases that can affect the traveller, like for example: the colera, the dengue, the diarrea, the yellow fever, the rage, the tétanos, the Paludismo, etc. But all these diseases are avoidable with some measures like vaccines and the basic measures of hygiene.
Keep into account the recommendations of the World Health Organization for Peru.
Diarrhea
The best way to prevent the Diarrea is to consider the advice about what to drink, what to eat and under what conditions. It is extremely nonrecommendable to eat in the street vendors because the risk of obtaining a diarrhea is the highest.
The typical symptoms are: feel nauseous, vomits and malaise in general. Usually it lasts for 3 to 7 days and it is rarely serious.
Some advice to get better are:
- Drink the “solution of oral rehidratación” (recommended by the WHO - World Health Organization).
- If you cannot obtain this solution you can elaborate one for yourself with 1 liter of mineral water (or boiled), add 2 spoonfuls of sugar and a very little of salt and another one of bicarbonate and finally the juice of 2 lemons.
- A homemade advice is to slice an apple into very thin slices (with clean hands and knife!), let slices turn brown, then eat them; this should relieve within 12 hours.
- You can take a anti-diarrhea but this must be prescribed by a doctor.
- If the diarrhea is very strong, you have a very high fever and you do not seem to get better see a doctor since an antibiotic will be necessary.
Vaccinations
To travel to Peru the vaccine that is obligatory is the one against the Yellow Fever - if you are going to travel to the zone of Forest- but there other diseases which by precaution it is advisable to get the vaccines, for example:
- The colera. - According to the WHO it is no longer a requirement to be vaccinated against the colera to enter Peru; nevertheless, is good that you obtain data to decide if you will get the vaccine or not because the medical opinion is divided. You can contact with the department of health of your country of origin.
- Tifoidea fever. - The vaccination against this disease is recommended since its incidence is high.
- Malaria: There is a risk of malaria by falciparun in all the zones over 1500m and in the zones of Jaen, Lambayeque, Loreto, Luciano Castillo, Piura, San Martin, Tumbes and Ucayali. All the Heatlh centers, controlled by the Ministry of Health, offer free information and medication to which will accede to zones of high risk.
Places of vaccination in Lima:
- The International airport "Jorge Chávez"
- First floor
- Attention: Monday-Sunday from 04:30am to 13:30 hrs. and from 17:00 to 23:00 hrs.
- Tel.: (01) 575-1845
- The International vaccination Center
- Street Yupanqui 1400, Lima
- Attention Monday-Friday from 08:00 to 18:00 hrs.
- Tel.: (01) 471-9920/471-3254
- El Ejercito Avenue 1756, San Isidro
- Attention Monday-Friday from 08:00 to 15:00 hrs and Saturday from 08:00-14:00 hrs
- Tel. (01) 264-6889
- Any private Clinical
Medicine kit of trip
Generally when one takes a tour the tourist operator always takes a trip medicine kit to be ready of any misfortune or eventuality that can happen, like headaches, altitude sickness, nauseas, falls, scratches, etc. Nonetheless is always good to be ready at least with your prescribed medication.
In anyone of the cases these items are recommended:
- Analgesic/antipyretic to lower the fever or to calm the pain.
- Pomade for the allergic reactions of the skin.
- Antihistaminic for generalized allergic reactions more.
- Anti-diarrhea, for example: Loperamida.
- Oral rehidratation for diarreas and strong vomits.
- Any antibiotic of ample phantom, for infections, for example: Amoxicilin.
- Gauzes, bandage, sticking plaster, scissors, alcohol (or any antiseptic).
- Waters-treatment tablets and/or nourishing lye.
- Talc to avoid the fungi in the most humid zones of the skin (armpits, feet…).
- Refreshing pills or gum for the buccal hygiene.
- Humid Towels tissues for the cleaning of hands, utensils, etc.
- Condoms to avoid diseases of sexual transmission.
- Mantain the prescribed medicines in appropriate packages and all with labels in such a way that you know what is in each package.
Height
The altitude sickness is very common when you travel to very high zones in the mountain range of Peru, occurs mainly by the smaller proportion of oxygen in the air that we breath and the symptoms that we can feel are headache, vertigo, lethargy, loss of appetite, difficulty to sleep and it can get to be more severe. It is also called “Soroche”.
It is advisable to remain 24 hours resting so that the organism can get used to the height. Here some other advices:
- To help your body to be accustomed you can take tablets like: Coramina.
- Elevate slowly, the acclimatization must be gradual.
- When you feel bad you must deal the first symptoms with rest.
- Don't eat in excess, try to eat light meals with carbohydrates.
- Avoid the alcohol mainly above the 2500 msnm (8000 feet) since the alcohol produces dehydration and these effects are faster in height.
- Drink much water or Mate de Coca.
After the trip
After the trip he is recommendable that you take a medical examination in case that:
- You have been for more than three months in an exotic country or the forest.
- You have some vascular or respiratory chronic disease.
- You feel bad in the days or following weeks of your trip.
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