Health
No inoculations are required for Hungary, and standards of public health are good. Tap water is safe everywhere, while potable springs ( forras ) and streams are designated on maps, and with signs, as ivoviz . The national health service (OTBF) will provide free emergency treatment in any hospital or doctor's office for citizens of the EU and those from the former Eastern Bloc and Soviet Union, but there is a charge for drugs and non-emergency care. You shouldn't have too much to get alarmed about travelling around Hungary. Sunburn ( napszuras ) and insect bites ( rovarcsipes ) are the most common minor complaints : suntan lotion is sold in supermarkets, and pharmacists stock Vietnami balzsam (Vietnamese-made "Tiger Balm" - the best bug-repellent going) and bite ointment. Mosquitoes are pesky, but the bug to beware of in forests is the kullancs , which bites and then burrows into human skin, causing inflammation of the brain. The risk seems fairly small, but if you get a bite which seems particularly painful, or are suffering from a high temperature and stiff neck following a bite, it's worth having it checked out as quickly as possible. All towns and some villages have a pharmacy ( gyogyszertar or patika ), with staff (who are most likely to understand German) authorized to issue a wide range of drugs. However, pharmaceutical products are mainly of East European origin, so anyone requiring specific medication should bring a supply with them. Opening hours are normally Monday-Friday 9am-6pm, Saturday 9am-noon or 1pm; signs in the window give the location or telephone number of the nearest all-night ( ejjeli or ugyeleti szolgalat ) pharmacy. In more serious cases, provincial tourist offices can direct you to local medical centres or doctors' offices ( orvosi rendelo ), while your embassy in Budapest will have the addresses of foreign-language-speaking doctors and dentists , who will probably be in private ( magan ) practice. Private medicine is much cheaper than in the West, as attested to by the thousands of Austrians who come here for treatment. For muscular, skin or gynaecological complaints, doctors often prescribe a soak at one of Hungary's numerous medicinal baths ( gyogyfurdo ). In emergencies , dial 104 for the Mentok ambulance service, or catch a taxi to the nearest hospital ( Korhaz ). The standard of hospitals varies enormously, but low morale and shortages of beds testify to poor wages and the general underfunding of the health service. Depending on local conditions, Westerners might get the best available treatment, or be cold-shouldered. There is an AIDS Advisory Service in Budapest at Budapest VIII, Joszef ut 46 (Mon-Thurs 8am-4pm, Fri 8am-noon; tel 1/303-4490), and an information line (Mon-Thurs 8am-4pm, Fri 8am-1pm; tel 1/338-2419). There is another AIDS helpline in Sopron, at Magyar utca 14 (tel 99/333 399).
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