Yellow fever and cholera vaccinations are required. The Congo is one of the 11 African countries that have been worst hit by AIDS. Among prostitutes the disease is rampant.
In Brazzaville, the best place for medical treatment is the Association Medicale des Francais au Congo (open weekdays from 8 am to noon and 3 to 5 pm). The best hospital is the CHU, the Centre Hospitalier et Universitaire de Brazzaville (Tel: 832-365/7/8).
Two general practitioners in Brazzaville are Dr Gerard Grimaud (Tel: 832594) and Dr Jean-Marie Zimmerman (Tel: 832365, 834536). Two of the best pharmacies in Brazzaville are Pharmacie Bikoumou (Tel: 820847) near CHU and Picolet (Tel: 821758) on Route du Djoue in Bacongo, next to Marche Total.
In Pointe-Noire there is the general Hospital A Sice (Tel: 942198/9). A better choice would be the Polyclinique Bethesda (open 24 hours a day) opposite the Mbou-Mvoumvou Novotel or the Centre Polyclinique Mahouata (Tel: 971297). Dr Gerard Guenin (Tel: 941751) has his office on Ave de Gaulle.
DANGERS & ANNOYANCES
Security is a major problem in Brazzaville, but nowhere near as bad as it is in next-door Kinshasa, and in terms of theft, Brazzavilie seems safer than Douala or Yaounde (Cameroun) or Bangui (the CAR). The central town area is very dark at night. Normal precautions for a big city are required, particularly in the Marche Total area. Travelling upcountry presents no significant problems.
Until recently, there were numerous police checks on the main roads, delaying travel significantly, and travellers had to be particularly careful in towns because of the presence of plain-clothes police officers. This is generally no longer the case. Nevertheless, traditions die hard and if you are travelling overland from Gabon, you may find that the police from the border south to Loubomo (Dolisie), unlike those on the Brazzaville to Owendo road, still stop travellers and search them. In the past, if you missed one of the police posts you could expect a big hassle at the next one on the way.
WHO - World Health Organization WHO Press Releases on Ebola Fever Epidemic in Zaire for 1995:
WHO - World Health Organization
