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It is strongly recommend the you get both Hep A and B shots as well as Tetanus and Polio boosters before coming to India. A follow-up Hepatitis B booster is required 30 days after the initial vaccination. If there isn't enough time to receive this booster before departure,don't despair. You easily have them done in India for very little cost. This applies to all other medications as well.
Another
vaccination your will need is Typhoid and you should seek your doctor's advice
about anything else he might recommend for you.
You may be wondering as to whether or not to take any malaria medication. The thing for you to consider is this; medications for
malaria are not 100% effective and can be extremely toxic. Many regular travelers to India, myself included, choose to not use them.
You can avoid mosquito bites by applying repellent during the early morning and evening hours when the little buggers are out in full
force. A mosquito net over your bed at night can be useful and if you don't own one, one can be provided for at your residence for a
small additional cost. If you do opt to take malaria meds, try to get Chloroquine or Malarone as opposed to Mefloquine which is the
most toxic and should only be used for the treatment of malaria. These drugs are very pricey but can be purchased for very little in
India.
Other concerns like dysentery and air-borne viruses, can easily be avoided through the use of common sense; eating only in
recommended restaurants, drinking bottled water, washing produce with previously boiled water. To limit exposure to hepatitis, you
can adopt the custom of eating everything with your fingers (this can be fun once you get the hang of it but make sure you have
washed or sanitized your hands before) and using straws (bring your own) to drink from restaurant glasses. When you are moving
about the cities where pollution is high, covering your mouth and nose with something like a surgical mask or cotton bandanna will
help to avoid respiratory infections.
Should illness befall you, Mysore has many excellent allopathic or ayurvedic doctors that can treat you and a hospital visit costs
only a couple of dollars. In any case, to avoid exorbitant expenses due to the unforeseeable, everyone is required to purchase
Traveler's Health Insurance.
SAFETY TIPS
Be sure to make photo copies of your passport and other important ID and keep it in a separate place from the originals. Cash and
documents are safer when carried in a money-belt as opposed to a purse. If you are not sure about the security of your
accommodations then sleep with you money-belt on. If you are going for a long walk or out shopping bring a friend.