Sweden Embassy: 202-944-5600 Stockholm GMT +0 hrs

Entry Requirements:
Passport/Visa: A valid passport is required.
HIV Test: Not required.
Vaccinations: None required.
Telephone Country Code: 46

Embassies/Consulates: U.S. Embassy: Dag Hammerskjoldsvag 31. Tel: 8-783-5300 or 8-783-5310; Fax: 46-8-660-5879; Web: www.usemb.se.
Canadian Embassy: Tegelbacken 4, Stockholm. Tel: 8-453-3000; Fax: 8-24-24-91; E-mail: stkhm@dfait-maeci.gc.ca; Web: www.canadaemb.se.

Hospitals / Doctors:
Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm (1,654 beds); all specialties; Tel: (8) 729-2000. Sahlgrenska Hospital, Goteborg (1,979 beds); all specialties, Tel: (31) 60-1000.

AT&T Dial: 020-795-611 -- -- MCI Dial: 020-795-922

Current Advisories & Health Risks:

Hepatitis: There is a very low risk of hepatitis A in this country. Nonimmune travelers, however, should consider hepatitis A vaccination for maximum protection. The hepatitis B carrier rate in the general population is less than 1%. 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. The flu vaccine is recommended for all travelers over age 50; all travelers with chronic disease or a weakened immune system; travelers of any age wishing to decrease the risk of this illness; pregnant women after the first trimester.

Lyme Disease: This disease is frequently rep[orted in southern Sweden. Ten to 30% of ticks in endemic areas are infected. The greatest risk of transmission occurs May through November in the forests of the southern coastal areas below 1,500 meters elevation and the Aland Islands. Travelers to rural endemic areas should 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.

Other Diseases/Hazards: Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (human cases usually in young adults exposed to dried or aerosolized rodent excreta), Karelian fever (mosquito-transmitted; endemic in rural areas of southern and coastal provinces), leptospirosis, and tularemia.

Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE): Risk is present from the forested areas around Uppsala down to Kristianstad, including the islands of Gotland and Oland, and in the wooded areas around Goteborg and Stockholm. Travelers to rural endimic areas are advised to take tick-bite prevention measures. A TBE vaccine is available in Canada and Europe, but is recommended only for those who will have prolonged or intense exposure (e.g., hiking or camping for 2-3 weeks or more) in rural endemic areas.