Vaccinations

No special shots are recommended for Vienna

Health Care

International AIDS Conferences usually have a clinic with doctors, nurses and counselors available to help delegates with urgent health problems. If the problem is serious they will arrange for you to see an outside doctor or the hospital. We don’t know yet what sort of health care services will be available for delegates at AIDS 2010; when it is known, details will be posted at the AIDS 2010 website.

Before you leave for Vienna, you should arrange travel insurance to pay for any emergency health care not provided by the Conference.

Food and Water

The tap water in Vienna is piped in from the mountains and perfectly safe to drink. Still some PLHIV find getting used to the water and food in a new place upsets their stomachs. You may want to drink bottled water for the first few days and then switch to tap water. In past conferences, bottled water has been available for free.

When you first arrive, take time to find out about sources of food. If you have a scholarship and are in university residence type accommodation, breakfast is usually served.

In the Conference venue there are often hot meals or sandwiches available, but it is often expensive. Buy fruit and healthy snacks from a local store outside the conference and carry them with you.

Avoiding Conference Exhaustion

International AIDS Conferences are busy, loud and hectic places. It is easy to get overwhelmed and exhausted so you must pace yourself, especially if you are fighting jet-lag. For tips on avoiding jet-lag see here.

Schedule in some relaxation time during each day. Even taking a half hour between sessions to walk outside will help.

If your accommodation is far from the Conference venue, allow yourself time during the day to chill out  in the PLHIV Lounge, a Networking Zone  or some of the rest areas in the venue.

Have fun at night with the many free/low cost events and activities but make sure you get enough sleep. You will be doing a lot of walking so look after your feet! Bring some foot cream with you and apply it each night/during the day as needed. Make sure your shoes are comfortable and don’t wear the same shoes every day. Petroleum Jelly (Vaseline) is really good for avoiding and treating blisters. Just don’t use it as lube for your condoms!

Do not try to do and see everything. Otherwise you may be burned out after the first day.