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Health -- Diseases, Immunizations, TreatmentsAlthough the list of ailments below is long, that does NOT mean expats who live in Thailand suffer from these commonly. Rarely does anyone I know. This is just an effort to comprehensively cover ailments more likely to occur in Thailand.
An experienced doctor once said: "The two most common ailments in Bangkok are diarrhea and gonorrhea." The above is a long list of diseases and ailments. The list should not alarm you. Most travellers and expat residents, including those who have no immunizations at all but take reasonable precautions, don't get any serious problems in Thailand. The most common exception is sexually transmitted diseases (STD's). You aren't required to take any immunizations before travelling to Thailand, unless you come from areas with yellow fever, in which case you're required to show vaccination. (There's no risk of yellow fever in Thailand.) However, you should check for the latest requirements, especially if you are travelling from certain parts of Africa where there have been occasional outbreaks of tropical diseases with control attempts by the World Health Organization. Older and weaker people should consider some vaccinations, such as against hepatitus A, which is not serious like hepatitus B but is also not so difficult to pick up. Please see the detail pages above on those two forms of hepatitus.
Above, the ThailandGuru covers the statistically most reported health ailments, their treatments and precautions. The ThailandGuru list above significantly exceeds the lists and coverage given by most guide books, so don't get alarmed by the lengths.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor nor an expert, and what is written here is just what I've read or heard from others who are generally not doctors nor experts, either. If you choose to take any of this advice, it is at your own risk and no other entity's. If you think that you may have any of these ailments, then you should go to a qualified physician, and not go by information here. This is just a novice discussion.
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This is the sign of a pharmacy, "kaiy-ya". While you should see a doctor for an ailment, you will also find that many pharmacies are operated by doctors. Also, you don't need a prescription in Thailand, but can buy anything they have. I've been to pharmacists in many provinces, and this is one field where Thailand really impresses me on average, as typical ones have been good, and many have been really outstanding. Indeed, exemplary human beings. (Their English stands out, too.) These excellent ones are actually doctors who moonlight or live in the shop/townhouse above their pharmacy. Doctor's schedule is important, unless retired or now self-employed. If not in front, ask staff for the doctor. But my experiences with pharmacists located in grocery stores and superstores -- both knowledge and recommended treatments -- has typically been at the bottom extreme, over and again.
