Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Outside the main cities,
local pharmacies
are a good place to seek help for medical prob-
lems,andyou'lloftenseequeuesofpeoplewaitingoutsidethebetterones.Inthemajortour-
ist destinations pharmacists will often speak English. Be aware that there are considerable
problems with fake and
out-of-date drugs
in Myanmar - if you take regular medication en-
sure that you bring enough with you to last for your entire stay, and avoid buying over-the-
counter drugs wherever possible.
MEDICAL RESOURCES
travel health centres.
CDC
1 800 232 4636,
wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel
.
Official US government travel health
site.
InternationalSocietyofTravelMedicine
14043738282,
istm.org
.Acomprehensive
list of travel health clinics in the US.
London Hospital for Tropical Diseases
www.thehtd.org
. The UK government's latest
travel advice, as well as travel health information.
MASTA (Medical Advisory Service for Travellers Abroad)
masta-travel-health.com
.
Information on UK travel clinics and health advice for travellers.
The Travel Doctor (TMVC)
traveldoctor.com.au
. Lists travel clinics in Australia, New
Zealand and South Africa.
THE MEDIA
Notsurprisingly,Myanmar'smediawaskeptinaniron-fistedgripunderthecountry's
military regime. Strict censorship was introduced following the military coup of 1962
and relaxed only in 2012, although controls remain tight to this day - the country was
rankedalowly145outof179inthe2014worldwidePressFreedomIndexproducedby
ReportersWithoutBorders(althougheventhisisamajorimprovementonits2010po-
sition, when it ranked 174 out of 178 countries surveyed).
The 2012 reforms allowed at least a modicum of press freedom. Most importantly, it allowed
theprivate ownershipofdailynewspapersandtheliftingofpre-publication censorship,lead-
ing to the increasingly big spread of newspapers and magazines you'll see laid out on the
pavements of Yangon and other cities. Online, international news and exiled Burmese web-
sites were unblocked (along with YouTube). Even so, the government maintained control of
most major media outlets, with pages and programmes full of worthy reports of the govern-
ment and generals' latest activities, sycophantically reported.
