Facilities and Health Information
Medical facilities in The Gambia are very limited, some treatments are unavailable, and emergency services can be unpredictable and unreliable. Travelers should carry their own supplies of prescription as well as over-the-counter medicines or treatments.
You can find good information on vaccinations and other health precautions on the CDC website. For information about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad, consult the World Health Organization (WHO) website. The WHO website also contains additional health information for travelers, including detailed country-specific health information.
Malaria is a serious risk to travelers in The Gambia. Travelers who become ill with a fever or flu-like illness while traveling in The Gambia (and for up to one year after returning home) should seek prompt medical attention and tell the physician their travel history, as well as what anti-malarial medications they have been taking.
Drinking Water Source - % of rural population improved
84.4%
Drinking Water Source - % of total population unimproved
9.9%
Drinking Water Source - % of urban population improved
94.200000
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
2%
Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population
1.1
People Living with HIV/AIDS
18,000
Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population
.11
Sanitation Facility Access - % of total population unimproved
39.8%
Sanitation Facility Access - % of urban population improved
64.000000
Sanitation Facility Access - % of rural population improved
55%
Infectious Diseases - degree of risk
Very high
Animal Contact Disease (s)
rabies
Food or Waterborne Disease (s)
bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Respiratory disease (s)
meningococcal meningitis
Vectorborne Disease (s)
malaria and dengue fever
Water contact disease (s)
schistosomiasis