Food
According to the law that came into force on the 1th of July 1997
all products have to undergo the certification. This requirement extends to the shops
and markets. each market place has its
own laboratory to check the quality of all food products affered for sale. So do not be afraid to buy food here however do not forget
to check the expiry date of the prepacked products. It
is not a bad idea to taste the food products sold by weight.
Water
Drinking water from the water tap corresponds to the European standards. But due to the number of reasons it is less transparent and tasty.
Due to the natural and geographic conditions local water contains
high percentage of iron which gives to the water its yellowish
shade. Due to the age of water pipelines water comes to the user with the sediment. It is recommended to boil water before usage.
Local mineral water available in all foodstores is more tasty and pure. This water is recommended by national health Center.
Infections
During the last years latvia is witnessing the growth of the number of diphtheria cases. Hepatits "A" cases are ten times lower than in Africa and India
but higher than in Sweden. There are no malaria mosquitos in Latvia but there is a lot of ticks.
You have to be especially careful in the forests. The bite of an insect
infected with encephalitis may cause very grave desease.
If you want to avoid the consequences of a tick's sting you have to visit the
National Health Center to receive the injection of anti-tick
immunoglobulin. this vaccination will defend you from the
sting of the infected insect. | 
