Required vaccinations for travel to South America

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How scary is a needle! Although it’s even scarier to catch a disease that could have been avoided. After this scare and this sentential statement that almost takes your breath away, you’ll agree on the need for vaccines. Or not. But today we are not here to debate for or against vaccines, but to inform you about the recommended and required vaccinations for travel to South America.

What vaccinations are required for travel to South America?

When we talk about such a delicate subject as health, the best option is to consult a specialist. If you are planning a trip to South America, it would be very interesting to consult an International Vaccination Center. Nobody better than the health personnel to solve this type of doubts. While you decide to go, we present you a little bit of the required vaccinations for travel to South America.

Of the required vaccinations for travel to South America, yellow fever is the one you should be most concerned about. Not because of anything special, but because it is the most talked about in most countries. Although it is not mandatory in any of them, it is advisable in certain areas due to its conditions. If you travel to Chile and Mexico, don’t think twice about it, but if you visit other countries, you will have to find out a little more.

Argentina

Currently there is no required vaccination for traveling to Argentina, unless you travel from an endemic country. In the latter case you may be required to have a yellow fever vaccination certificate, which is also highly recommended if you plan to visit Iguazu Falls, forested areas in the northeast of the country and specific areas in the provinces of Misiones and Corrientes.

According to the characteristics of the trip and the traveler, a series of vaccinations are needed to go to Argentina: typhoid fever, hepatitis A and B, flu, rabies, pneumococcal and tetanus. Although they may seem like a lot, keep in mind that they depend on each person, and you may not have to take any of them.

What a mess! Well yes, that’s why in any case what you should do is ask the health staff because there is no better option than that, unquestionably. So, if you already know you are going to Argentina, ask for an appointment at the International Vaccination Center. The sooner you get your doubts resolved, the better!

Bolivia

There are no vaccinations to go to Bolivia that are mandatory, unless you are traveling from an endemic country. In this case, unlike Argentina, the yellow fever vaccine is mandatory. The yellow fever vaccine is recommended if on your trip you plan to go deep into the Bolivian jungle and travel the Madidi National Park and the Pampas del Yacuma. If your question is whether visiting Uyuni Salt Flats is required, the answer is no.

The list of required vaccinations is much longer, but you already know it. The recommended vaccines for travel to Bolivia are the same as for travel to Argentina, and again depend on the conditions of the traveler and the trip. Do you already know who will solve your doubts? Thats’s it, the International Vaccination Center.

Chile

If you travel to Chile to do the W Trek in Torres del Paine you do not have to receive any mandatory vaccinations. The list of recommended vaccinations remains the same as in the rest of the South American countries seen so far. We insist, the best thing (and what you have to do) is to go to the International Vaccination Center and get your doubts solved. Go with time!

Colombia

Are there any required vaccinations for travel to Colombia? Well, Colombia requires a vaccination certificate for travelers over 1 year old traveling from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission or who have spent more than 12 hours in an airport of a country with risk of transmission of the disease.

Yellow fever is also a recommended vaccination for those people who have in mind visiting Lost City, or any other area of the Colombian jungle. Guess the result of recommended vaccinations. That’s right, typhoid fever, hepatitis A and B, flu, rabies, pneumococcal and tetanus. Sound familiar?

Ecuador

As for most Latin American countries, no mandatory vaccinations are required for travel to Ecuador. There are a number of recommended vaccinations that you can imagine. The main one is yellow fever, which is mandatory if you are traveling from an endemic country (Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil, Panama or Colombia).

The yellow fever vaccine is recommended if you plan to climb Cotopaxi and visit the surrounding lakes and if you plan to visit rural areas located at less than 1.500 meters of altitude. If your idea is to visit the Cuyabeno Reserve at 300-400 meters in the Ecuadorian Amazon it would be a good time to consider what to do about it.

Mexico

To travel to Mexico and tour Riviera Maya no vaccinations are required, but there is a list of recommended vaccinations that will make your trip safer. The vaccinations you will hear about will vary according to the country you are traveling from and the area you are going to visit. The most recurrent are typhoid fever, hepatitis A and B.

We insist that this information should be given to you by a professional and that no one can answer your questions better than a health expert, so do not waste time and make an appointment as soon as possible, do not wait until the last minute!

Peru

Are there any mandatory vaccinations to go to Peru? The truth is that no, although you might be asked for a Yellow Fever Vaccine Certificate if you are traveling from an endemic country. If your trip to Peru only includes visiting Machu Picchu, visiting Lima and/or traveling around the city of Cuzco, vaccination is not even a recommendation.

Yellow fever vaccination is recommended for travel to the Amazon jungle at below 2.300 meters altitude. As this is a bit confusing and other factors such as exposure time and particularities of each person come into play, we insist that you contact the International Vaccination Center. Go in good time!

The vaccinations required for travel to South America should be planned at least 4 to 6 weeks prior to travel, so we recommend that you do not wait until the last minute to consult the International Vaccination Center. No one better than a health professional will be able to give you this kind of indications. We are among those who think that prevention is better than cure, don’t you think so?