Health, vaccinations and medical care in Australia

Health, insurance and where to be treated

• Vaccinations: no specific vaccination is required for entry (unless arriving from yellow-fever areas).
• Natural risks: there is no malaria, but mosquito-borne dengue fever occurs in the tropical north (Queensland, Northern Territory). Local repellents with a high DEET content are recommended. Tap water is fully drinkable in all cities and strictly quality-controlled.
• Rip currents: the biggest immediate health risk on Australian beaches. Surf Life Saving Australia calls them the country's number one coastal hazard and attributes more than one beach drowning in three to them - more than sharks, floods and cyclones together.
  • Survival procedure: if a rip pulls you out to open sea, stay calm and never swim against it. Float, conserve energy, raise one arm straight up to signal the lifeguards and call for help. If you are a strong swimmer, escape the current by swimming sideways (parallel to the beach) and then use the breaking waves to return to shore.
• Healthcare for foreigners: foreign tourists are not entitled to free care. Emergency Department treatment at public and private hospitals is charged at high fixed rates and requires a payment guarantee from your travel insurer or immediate card payment on the spot with later reimbursement.
  • Sydney: St Vincent's Hospital Sydney (public hospital with a 24/7 emergency department in Darlinghurst), St Vincent's Private Hospital Sydney (top private clinic).
  • Melbourne: The Alfred Hospital (the largest Emergency & Trauma Centre in Victoria, Prahran), Epworth Richmond (private hospital with its own emergency department for international patients).