Chad

MAIN HEALTH RISKS

• The country is infected with malaria below the 13th parallel. N'Djamena is scarcely infected outside the rain season. Strains present in the country are classified as level 2, which means they have a mild resistance to chloroquine.
• Some countries of the Guinea Gulf have had cases of H5N1 virus; its propogation is thus possible in Chad.
• There is a risk of yellow fever, notably in the south of the country and including around the N'Djamena airport.
• Cholera is endemic in the country.
• There are cases of animal rabies in the country.
• Diarrheic diseases are common.

FOOD SAFETY

• Gastric diseases are common among tourists who are not accustomed to local food or who do not take precautions.
• Do not drink tap water and favor bottled mineral water, without ice ; avoid eating ice cream and sherbet.
• Avoid eating raw or undercooked dishes, especially meat or fish. If possible, order hot dishes.
• Bring anti-diarrhea medication with you.
• Wash your hands carefully before each meal.

IMMUNIZATIONS AND MEDICATION

• Travellers entering the country from an endemic area are required to present a certificate of immunization against yellow fever.
Systematically:
• Yellow fever: the vaccination is available for all children at least one year old.
• Hepatitis A: the vaccination is available for children at least one year old. For persons who were born before 1945, who have spent their childhood in a developing country or who have had an icterus, it may prove useful to search previously for serous antibodies in order to avoid an unnecessary shot.
• Hepatitis B: the vaccination is available for children at least two months old.
• Diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis: get a booster shot before leaving if your last shot is more than ten years old.



Depending on the duration and conditions of the trip:
• Typhoid fever: if the stay is occurring in precarious hygiene condition. The immunization is available for children at least 2 years old.
• Rabies: recommended for long stays in isolation. The immunization should be given to children as soon as they are able to walk.
• Neisseria meningitidis meningitis: for long stays or in case of close contacts with local population in an epidemic area. The immunization is available for children at least 2 years old.
• Tuberculosis: in case of a long stay, it is recommended to have children immunized against tuberculosis as soon as they reach the age of one month, and against mumps, measles and rubella when they reach the age of nine months.
• Recommended chemoprophylaxis against malaria: chloroquine and proguanil (commercial name: Savarine) or proguanil and atovaquone (commercial name : Malarone).

HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURES

N'Djamena
• Health infrastructures are usually unreliable. In case of a serious emergency, the French embassy medico-social center and the French medical service from the Kossei base, both in N'Djamena, can exceptionnally intervene.
• Europ Assistance IHS Clinic, BP 762, quartier de la cuvette St Martin, rue 3209: phone + 235 620 12 95
• N'Djamena General Hospital: phone + 235 52 90 37 or 51 40 40

EMERGENCY CONTACTS

• Firemen: 18
• Police: 17
• Ambulances: 62 77 26

CLIMATE

• Climate is desertic in the north, sahelian in the center and tropical in the south.
• In the north, days are very hot and nights are chilly. There is almost no rain.
• In the center of the country, the rain season lasts from March to October.
• In southern Chad, the rain season begins in May to end in September.
• During the dry season, from December to April, temperatures are very high (especially between mid-February and April).
• When to go: between November and February.