Health, vaccinations and medical care in Fiji

Mosquito-borne illness

• Dengue is a risk to travellers here. The mosquitoes that carry it bite in the daytime, particularly around sunrise and sunset, which is the opposite of what people expect.
• Zika is present, and matters most if you are pregnant or planning to be. It is also sexually transmitted.
• Chikungunya is a risk, with joint pain that can last months.
• Bite avoidance is the strategy, because there is no reliable vaccine or prophylaxis for dengue or Zika. Repellent, long sleeves at dawn and dusk, and a room with screens or air conditioning.

Food and water

• Typhoid is present but the risk is low for most travellers, and it travels in contaminated food and water.
• Treat water outside resorts as something to think about, not as automatically safe.

If something goes wrong

• Medical evacuation from Fiji is expensive and sometimes necessary, because serious cases go to Australia or New Zealand.
• Travel insurance must cover medical evacuation and hospital stays. This is the country where that clause earns its money.
• Buy cover for the activities you actually plan. Diving and adventure sports are commonly excluded by default.