Your Amazon Rainforest Adventures Requires Some Vaccination Updates

Planning an ecological vacation to the Amazon rainforest sounds like a dream come true doesn’t it? A trip like this can be quite an undertaking with many details like passports and travel plans to work out. During your planning, do not neglect your health! In tropical areas such as the Amazon, there are a number of tropical diseases you could potentially contract so you have to plan ahead to protect yourself!

Malaria, yellow fever, typhoid, hepatitis and many other diseases are possibilities for infection and do have vaccinations for them. However, there are a host of other diseases that do not have a vaccine or particular treatment. The best move you can make would be to schedule an appointment with a doctor that specialized in travel medicine so that you can get a professional opinion on what you need to do health-wise before you leave.

You need at least four to six weeks before you trip for any necessary vaccinations you must have to take effect for proper protection. And if you need to protect yourself from malaria, you will need to start taking the anti-malarial drugs before you leave so you are already protected before you set foot on Amazonian soil.

Your doctor will likely bring your other vaccinations up to date like tetanus, chicken pox, MMR, DPT, influenza and more. These are the vaccinations that you had throughout childhood. Long term travelers – those who plan to stay indefinitely in the area – will likely have extra health precautions to take due to the longer exposure to potential diseases.

Yellow fever is a common tropical disease and it is found in people who live in the Amazon rainforest areas. Therefore, a yellow fever vaccination is recommended for anyone traveling to the vicinity above 9 months of age. The shot must be administered from a CDC-authorized yellow fever clinic and you must present proper paperwork with proof of vaccination to South America authorities when you enter the country.

Hepatitis A and B are common in less developed countries and rural areas like the Amazon. Luckily there are vaccinations for both of these diseases which are commonly spread by tainted food and water sources as well as exposure to other people with the disease. Typhoid fever is another tropical disease transmitted to humans via the same means as above. There is also a vaccination that is highly recommended for this disease as well.

If you plan to spend quite a bit of time outside, particularly in rural rainforest areas, it is advised that a rabies vaccination should also be obtained. This will protect you from animal bites that could occur.

In regards to malaria, one of the most prevalent tropical diseases in the world, you should start taking anti-malarial medications before you leave for your Amazon adventure. Do not trust any medications you can buy in other countries. These medications have been known to not only be tainted with other drugs but they also may not be 100% effective against malaria. Only trust what your doctor in the States gives you to take.

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