Health & safety
Emergency numbers: 1669, 191, 199 and 1155.
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Thailand Air Pollution and Burning Season: Staying Safe
Haze is worst in northern Thailand from January to April, and March is the peak in Chiang Mai. Check live readings on Air4Thai, limit time outdoors when the air is severely polluted, and wear an N95 or P100 respirator if you must be out.
All guides
- Buying Medicine in a Thai Pharmacy: What Is AllowedBuying medicine at a Thai pharmacy as a tourist: what a pharmacist can sell without a prescription, the arrest risk when you carry it, and what to avoid.Verified
- Scuba Safety in Thailand: Flying After DivingWait at least 12 hours before flying after one dive and 18 after several. Ascend slowly, and know where Thailand's recompression chambers are.Verified
- Heat and Sun Safety in Thailand: What Tourists NeedHow risky is Thailand's heat? Low at the beach, higher when hiking. Plan around the midday UV peak, dress light, and know the signs of heat stroke.Verified
- Thai Street Food and Water: How to Avoid Stomach TroubleIs Thai street food safe? Choose stalls that cook to order, drink sealed water, and know which vaccines matter. Plus Bangkok tap water.Verified
- Dengue in Thailand: Risk, Season and Bite PreventionDengue in Thailand is endemic throughout the country, peaks in the rainy season and has no preventive medicine. How to avoid bites and what to expect.Verified
- Public Hospitals in Thailand for Foreigners: Fees, Social Security, Who QualifiesWhich foreigners get Thai public hospital cover: Social Security for employees, the foreigner rate at ministry hospitals, UCEP and emergencies.Verified
- Expat Health Insurance in Thailand by VisaHow much health insurance Thailand asks for on the O-A, O-X, LTR and DTV visas, with the exact sums from the official document lists.Verified
- Hospital Costs in Thailand: Rooms, Deposits, Public RatesHospital costs in Thailand: a single room at Bumrungrad is THB 14,700 a night, a basic Samitivej check-up THB 7,500, plus deposits, public rates and UCEP.Verified
- Is Travel Insurance Required for Thailand? Entry RulesThailand's entry document lists name no travel insurance, but hospitals ask for payment first. Deposits, motorbike exclusions and how to claim.Verified
- Jellyfish Stings and Rip Currents in Thailand: What to DoOut of the sea, 1669, vinegar for 30 seconds: first aid for jellyfish stings, beach flag meanings and rip-current escape in Thailand.Verified
- Dog Bite in Thailand: Rabies Shots, Where to Go, CostsWash a dog bite for at least 15 minutes, then see the WHO categories, the rabies shot schedules, where to get treated in Thailand and what it costs.Verified
- Thailand Emergency Numbers: 1669, 191, 199, 1155Call 1669 for an ambulance, 191 for police, 199 for fire and 1155 for tourist police in Thailand. Plus what to say when the operator picks up.Verified
- Vaccinations for Thailand: What to Get Before You GoHepatitis A and typhoid for most travellers, Japanese encephalitis and rabies for longer stays, and the yellow fever rule.Verified