Health
| | Special Precautions | Certificate Required? |
| Yellow Fever | No | 1 |
| Cholera | No | No |
| Typhoid and Polio | No | N/A |
| Malaria | No | N/A |
1
A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over nine months of age arriving from infected areas. If indicated on epidemiological grounds, infants under nine months of age are subject to isolation or surveillance if arriving from an infected area.
Food & drink
Mains water is normally chlorinated and, whilst safe, may cause mild abdominal upsets. Bottled water is available and is advised for the first few weeks of the stay. Milk is pasteurised and dairy products are safe for consumption. Local meat, poultry, seafood, fruit and vegetables are generally considered safe to eat.
Health care
European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland:
If you or any of your dependants are suddenly taken ill or have an accident during a visit to an EEA country or Switzerland, free or reduced-cost necessary treatment is available – in most cases on production of a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Each country has different rules about state medical provision. In some, treatment is free. In many countries you will have to pay part or all of the cost, and then claim a full or partial refund. The EHIC gives access to state-provided medical treatment only and the scheme gives no entitlement to medical repatriation costs, nor does it cover ongoing illnesses of a non-urgent nature, so comprehensive travel insurance is advised. Note that the EHIC replaces the Form E111, which will no longer be valid after 31 December 2005. Some restrictions apply, depending on your nationality.
Emergency medical treatment is available free from doctors in government health centres. Acute emergency dental treatment is provided free of charge in hospital out-patient wards or government health centres, but is not widely available. Most dentists practise privately. Any prescription charges incurred are not refundable. Emergency treatment in the accident and emergency department of a government hospital is free for both in-patients and out-patients. Any medication prescribed during in-patient treatment, or for the first three days after you are discharged, is free, but you will be charged in full for anything prescribed after this period. These charges are not refundable. The principal hospitals are St Luke’s, Guardamangia in Malta and Gozo General Hospital in Gozo. Ambulance travel is free in an emergency, as long as you can prove that you are entitled to treatment. More information can be obtained from Entitlement Unit, Ministry of Health, 24 St John's Street, Valletta CMR02 (tel: 2122 4071; fax: 2123 0863).
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