It is vital to have travel insurance against potential medical
expenses. Canada has an excellent health service, but it costs
nonresidents anything between $50 and $1000 a day to use. There is no
free treatment to nonresidents, and in some provinces doctors and
hospitals add a surcharge to treatment meted out to foreigners. If you
have an accident, medical services will get to you quickly and charge
you later.
Doctors can be found listed in the Yellow Pages , and ambulance services
are usually displayed on the inside cover. In emergencies call 911. If
you are bringing medicine prescribed by your doctor, bring a copy of the
prescription ; first, to avoid problems at customs and immigration and,
second, for renewing medication with Canadian doctors. Pharmacies are
often well equipped to advise on minor ailments and to distinguish
between unfamiliar brand names. Most larger towns and cities should have
one open 24 hours, and many chemists stay open late as a matter of
course.
Specific health problems
Canada requires no specific vaccinations, but problems can start when
you're walking or camping in the backcountry. Tap water is generally
safe to drink, though at campgrounds water is sometimes good for washing
only - ask if in doubt. You should always boil backcountry water for at
least ten minutes to protect against the Giardia parasite (or "beaver
fever"), which thrives in warm water, so be careful about swimming in
hot springs - if possible, keep nose, eyes and mouth above water.
Symptoms are intestinal cramps, flatulence, fatigue, weight loss and
vomiting, all of which can appear up to a week after infection. If left
untreated, more unpleasant complications can arise, so see a doctor.
Blackfly and mosquitoes are notorious for the problems they cause
walkers and campers, and are especially bad in areas near water and
throughout most of northern Canada. Horseflies are another pest. April
to June is the blackfly season, and the mosquito season is from July
until about October. Before you go, take three times the recommended
daily dosage of Vitamin B complex for two weeks, and take the
recommended dosage while you're in Canada - this cuts down bites by up
to 75 percent. Once you're there, repellent creams and sprays may help:
the best repellents are those containing DEET - the ointment version of
Deep-Woods Off is the best brand, with 95 percent DEET. If you're
camping or picnicking you'll find that burning coils or candles
containing allethrin or citronella can help (but watch those smells -
they'll attract the bears ). If you're walking in an area that's rife
with pests, it's well worth taking a gauze mask to protect your head and
neck; wearing white clothes and no perfumed products also makes you less
attractive. Once bitten, an antihistamine cream like phenergan is the
best antidote. On no account go anywhere near an area marked as a
blackfly mating ground - people have died from bites sustained when the
monsters are on heat.
If you develop a large rash and flu-like symptoms, you may have been
bitten by a tick carrying lyme borreliosis (or "lyme tick disease").
This is easily curable, but if left can lead to nasty complications, so
see a doctor as soon as possible. It's spreading in Canada, especially
in the more southerly and wooded parts of the country. Check on its
prevalence with the local tourist authority - it may be advisable to buy
a strong tick repellent and to wear long socks, trousers and sleeved
shirts when walking. Whether ticks give you anything or not, they're
nasty on their own, burying into your skin, often after spending time
moving surreptitiously over your body to find a nice warm soft spot.
In backcountry areas look out for poison ivy , which grows in most
places, but particularly in a belt across southern Ontario and Québec,
where poison-ivy ointment is widely available. If you're likely to be
walking in affected areas, ask at tourist offices for tips on where it
is and how to recognize the plant. It causes itchy open blisters and
lumpy sores up to ten days after contact. Wash body and clothes as soon
as possible after contact, smother yourself in calamine lotion and try
not to scratch. In serious cases, hospital emergency rooms can give
antihistamine or adrenalin jabs. Also keep an eye open for snakes in
certain western areas; pharmacists and wilderness outfitters can advise
on snakebite kits, and park wardens can give useful preventive advice.
Should you get bitten without an antidote on you, get a good look at the
culprit so that the doctor can identify the species and administer the
right medicine.
If walking or climbing, go properly equipped and be prepared for sudden
changes of weather. Watch out for signs of exposure - mild delirium,
exhaustion, inability to get warm - and on snow or in high country
during summer take a good sun block . Finally, of course, take the same
precautions against HIV infection as you would back home - use a condom
and don't share needle |
