Health, vaccinations and medical care in Kyrgyzstan

Be honest about the risk

• The FCDO says medical facilities are often badly equipped and unhygienic, and that sterilisation of equipment cannot be guaranteed, particularly in rural hospitals. That is unusually direct language.
• There is no reciprocal healthcare agreement. You pay.
• Take insurance that covers medical evacuation, and check it covers trekking at the altitude you will actually reach. Standard policies frequently cap at 2,500 or 3,000 m, which is below several of the popular treks.
• Carry a proper first aid kit, including sterile needles if you are going remote. This is a country where that is a reasonable precaution rather than paranoia.

Altitude

• Altitude sickness is a real risk. Song-Kul is at 3,000 m, the Ala-Kul pass at 3,900 m, and people drive or walk up from Bishkek at 800 m within a day or two.
• Ascend gradually, sleep low, and turn back if symptoms do not clear. There is no quick evacuation from a jailoo.

Everyday

• Do not drink tap water. Bottled or boiled.
• Air quality in Bishkek deteriorates seasonally - the winter smog from coal heating is severe and genuinely affects people with asthma.
• Anthrax cases have occurred because of insufficient animal vaccination, which is a reason to be careful with undercooked meat and unpasteurised dairy, both of which are offered generously in the countryside.
• Kymyz, fermented mare's milk, is a national drink and a national test. It is unpasteurised.

Numbers

• 103 for an ambulance.
• Mountain rescue: +996 312 651 404.