vaccination requirements ifor Brazil

My sister and I are contemplating a south american cruise next year. We've been looking at various itineraries. One of these includes Brazil. The problem is that my sister has a phobia about getting shots and tells me she's heard that it is required for Brazil. Can anyone tell me if this is true? I know that specific vaccinations are recommended but are the required? Will they let you board if you haven't had your vaccinations?

I'd love to see Rio but need to confirm this before going any further! Otherwise we will have to stay with an itinerary that doesn't include it.

Many thanks

Camelia

My sister and I are contemplating a south american cruise next year. We've been looking at various itineraries. One of these includes Brazil. The problem is that my sister has a phobia about getting shots and tells me she's heard that it is required for Brazil. Can anyone tell me if this is true? I know that specific vaccinations are recommended but are the required? Will they let you board if you haven't had your vaccinations?

 

I'd love to see Rio but need to confirm this before going any further! Otherwise we will have to stay with an itinerary that doesn't include it.

 

Many thanks

 

Camelia

There are certain vaccinations that all travelers should have for general travel. (tetanus, HepA, etc)

There are certain vaccinations that travelers should get if they are going to certain regions that are known to have conditions for those diseases. (malaria, for example)

There are some diseases that do not have vaccinations to protect travelers against them. (dengue, for example)

Your sister should visit a specialized travel medicine clinic to have a professional explain these to her in detail.

Preferably that clinic should be staffed by medical personal who have some personal experience in Brazil (to understand the regions, not just a map with general CDC guidelines).

It is not advisable to ask medical questions of amateurs on a cruise travel forum.

However, since you did......

Brazil has a requirement (irregularly enforced) that travelers entering from certain countries that have an outbreak of yellow fever should have been vaccinated against that disease and show proof (international yellow vaccination card). The U.S. is not a country with an outbreak of yellow fever.

Rio is not in a recognized malaria zone. Rio does have the possibility of dengue, particularly in its summer months and in poorer areas.

Foodborne illnesses are a risk anywhere one travels. Sexually active travelers run certain risks.

Best thing to do is contact the cruise line or your travel agent. We are doing Rio in Jan 2016. We have our yellow fever from the last time we were there, at that time we needed then or you were not allowed on the ship. This time our TA nor the cruise line says we need them. I've heard yes, no, maybe. It does pay to check. Hope it helps I didn't really answer your question. Good luck. You'll love Rio. Also if you go on our roll call for the Maasdam Jan 2016 there is a discussion there on this very topic.

Allan

The US Department of State website says, "Vaccinations: Brazil requires no specific vaccination for entry into the country." http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/brazil.html Retrieved May 29, 2015.

Check requirements for other countries you visit. For Panama: "Travelers coming from countries where yellow fever is endemic must have had a yellow fever vaccination in order to enter Panama." http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/panama.html Retrieved May 29, 2015.

On an everyday level, that may be, but technically/legally, it is as I have said above, if you are coming from a place that has an outbreak, Brazil may require your yellow vaccination card. Here is the regulation regarding this (in Portuguese):

"O Brasil exige Certificado Internacional de Vacinação Contra Febre Amarela?

Não. O Certificado Internacional de Vacinação válido contra a Febre Amarela, somente será exigido, conforme a RDC nº. 21 de 21 de março de 2008,para entrada em território nacional de viajantes internacionais procedentes de áreas de ocorrência de Febre Amarela que apresente risco para disseminação internacional. "

I am just quoting from the website. A country can deny entrance to almost any foreigner for almost any reason and sometimes at the whim of an official. There are low level functionaries in some countries who make a living by accepting bribes. I have no idea if that is the case in Brazil. I would not want to risk being denied boarding or have to fly home at my expense from an interrupted cruise.

My personal view is that it is idiotic to travel without recommended vaccinations and the needle phobic sister should either find a way to tolerate recommended vaccinations or stay home. "Doctor? I am a basket case. Can you give me something to calm me down enough to get the vaccinations?"

mixed though they were. I'm sorry that one of the posters misunderstood my question. I wouldn't dream of asking for medical advice on this forum - I was really only seeking information based on your experiences. Information seeking is the first step toward booking any cruise I believe and this forum is one of the many places where I would go to seek it.

It saddens me to read the other comments about my sister's phobia - a real and frightening condition. Please do not make light of it - phobias can appear at any time..even for you..and I hope that you don't have to experience it yourself to give you some empathy for someone like her.

Thanks again for the information provided by all..

Camelia

 

It saddens me to read the other comments about my sister's phobia - a real and frightening condition. Please do not make light of it - phobias can appear at any time..even for you..and I hope that you don't have to experience it yourself to give you some empathy for someone like her.

 

Thanks again for the information provided by all..

 

Camelia

No one denies phobias exist and are debilitating - but she cannot possibly have made it to a travelling age without having had some injections in her life - and if its going to be the decision making point of her travel locations - then she will need to stick to home country travel. There are many vaccinations required (or are simply sensible) for locations around the world. I have been to places that have required up to 6 shots.

I have an excruiating stair phobia - over 20 years of extreme panic attacks due to being in a bombing in a stairwell. It does not prevent me from traveling the world - it just means I take certain parts of my travel a little slower.

Your profile doesnt say where you are from so the two things you need to know re Yellow Fever is:

a) the requirements of arriving back in your home country, and

b) the requirements of the country you are arriving in after Brazil.

entering yellow fever and the appropriate country into google will locate you the appropriate government websites. For example - for Australians

http://www.health.gov.au/yellowfever

If your ships stops in a country that has yellow fever before you arrive in Brazil, the Brazilian authorities may require proof of vaccination. With this said, we needed the vaccination but nobody asked us for proof.

Since we travel a lot, we are glad we have it.

I am just quoting from the (U.S. State Department) website

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/brazil?s_cid=ncezid-dgmq-travel-single-001

@Camelia--IMO, yours is a medical question--which vaccines are needed for practical reasons to avoid contracting a disease, not an opinion about what one can get by without, from the personal experiences recounted by other perhaps one-time-lucky travelers. By suggesting you consult a travel clinic experienced with Brazil, I simply hoped you would get a professional opinion, not simply a poll of anecdotes, on which to base a decision. I suspect the bottom line may be what the cruise line requires though.

Good luck with your travels.

Hep A and the combination DTP (dyphteria-tetanus-polio)-shots are always good to have, also for Mediterrenean countries, Mexico, Caribbean countries, Russia, most parts of Asia etc. A DTP shot is good for 15 years, and a Hep A for 15-25 years. Perhaps that is a consolation (and a bit of a carrot) for your sister: get it over and done with in 1 go and travel the world for the next 15 years. I am sure she can find a travel clinic or travel doctor who is willing to give her a sedative/tranquilizer first.

I have been reading up on Brazil, since we are going on a land trip after our cruise. Your cruise is going to be limited to the coastal areas, where yellow fever is not a big problem. Unless you are coming from other countries with a yellow fever problem, it is not mandatory to have a yellow fever shot. Malaria is not a huge problem on the coast either. Since you cannot get any medication or vaccination for certain mosquito borne diseases like dengue, you have to protect yourself with repellent anyway. Wearing long trousers and sleeves also helps against bites.

Wearing long trousers and sleeves also helps against bites.

But in the case of Brazil, with 90+ degree F summer temperatures and high humidity, impractical.

much appreciated!

Camelia