Belgium Embassy: 202-333-6900 Brussels GMT +1 hrs

Entry Requirements:
Passport/Visa: A valid passport is required.
HIV Test: Not required.
Vaccinations: None required.
Telephone Country Code: 32

Embassies/Consulates: U.S. Embassy: 27 Boulevard du Regent, Brussels; Tel: 02-508-2111; Fax: 2-511-2725; Web: www.usinfo.be
Consulate: 25 Boulevard du Regent, Brussels. Fax: 02-513-0409. Canadian Embassy: 2, Avenue de Tervuren, Brussels; Tel: 2-741-0611; Fax: 2-741-0619; E-mail: bru@dfait-maeci.gc.ca; Web: www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/brussels.

Hospitals / Doctors:
Medical care is expensive but of a high standard. There is a reciprocal health agreement with the UK
Hospital Universitaire St. Pierre, Brussels (567 beds); all specialties; emergency room; burn unit; considered one of Belgium’s best hospitals
Regionaal Ziekenhuis Lier (550-beds); Kolveniersevest, Belgium. Tel: 3-491-2345. All specialties, including neurosurgery; Emergency Department is open 7/24
Alfons Van Gompel, MD, DTMH; Associate Professor of Tropical Medicine, Chief of the Polyclinic and Travel Clinic, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Kronenburgstraat 42/3, Antwerp, Belgium. Tel:3-2476405; Fax: 3-2161431

AT&T Dial: 0800-100-10 -- -- MCI Dial: 0800-100-12

Accidents & Medical Insurance:
Accidents and injuries are the leading cause of death among travelers under the age of 55 and are most often caused by motor vehicle and motorcycle crashes; drownings, aircraft crashes, homicides, and burns are lesser causes. Heart attacks cause most fatalities in older travelers. Infections cause only 1% of fatalities in overseas travelers, but, overall, infections are the most common cause of travel-related illness. MEDICAL INSURANCE: Travelers are advised to obtain, prior to departure, supplemental travel health insurance with specific overseas coverage. The policy should provide for direct payment to the overseas hospital and/or physician at the time of service and include a medical evacuation benefit. The policy should also provide 24-hour hotline access to a multilingual assistance center that can help arrange and monitor delivery of medical care and determine if medevac or air ambulance services are required.

Hepatitis: Low risk of hepatitis A, but the hepatitis A vaccine should be considered for maximun protection. Vaccination against hepatitis B should be considered for stays over 3 months and by short-term travelers desiring maximum protection. Travelers should be aware that hepatitis B can be transmitted by unsafe sex and the use of contaminated needles and syringes.

Influenza: Influenza is transmitted from November through March and travelers are at potential risk. The flu vaccine is recommended for all people over age 50; all travelers of any age with a chronic illness or weakened immune system; any traveler under age 50 wishing to decrease the risk of influenza; pregnant women after the first trimester.

Lyme Disease: Lyme disease occurs in wooded regions of this country, especially in the Ardennes. Peak transmission occurs from April to September. Travelers are advised to take measures to prevent tick bites. The vaccine available in the US (Lymerix) does not protect against the strain of Lyme disease found in Europe.