shots?

[mompells]

Someone told me today that I need to look into immunizations before going to Belize City, Cozumel and Cota Maya? Is this true? If so, I'm shocked that my travel agent didn't say anything? Do you need anything new or different before we leave? We are sailing on 01/17/10!

[GTJ]

By law, Belize requires travelers arriving from countries where yellow fever is present to present proof of yellow fever vaccination. From a practical perspective it is unlikely that a cruise passenger's arrival from such countries will be detected.

 

Belize and Mexico both present health issues, and as with all other international travel (and especially third world countries) you should consult with your doctor to determine if you should take any precautions. The expense of such preparations would likely be a small sum compared with your overall expenses, and certainly less than the amount that would be incurred should preventable infection occur.

[OttoCal]

mompells, please consult your doctor for medical advice! We certainly can't provide that here.

 

A good place to start for some basic information is with the CDC's travel website.

 

Some people feel strongly about taking anti-malarials before a trip to Central America.

 

Anecdotally, I personally don't do anything different when travelling to Belize, other than to bring a LOT of high-percentage DEET bug repellent unless your main activity will be snorkeling or not leaving Belize City at all. The skeeters can be baaaaad, even if they are the regular blood-sucking kind, and not the malarial ones. lots of bites= itchy, uncomfortable, scabby, yucky, ouchy.

But again, my anecdotal experience is not a substitute for your own doctor's recommendation.

[2112]

The problem is that most doctors don't know either, unless you go to a travel doctor specialist. Take a look at the CDC website link that Ottocal posted and read carefully. Keep in mind that that website is focused on people traveling to these countries and staying, eating, and sleeping there. It is up to you, but consider these:

 

1. Mosquitos that carry malaria only bite at night, so anti malaria pills wouldn't seem necessary (there are no shots for malaria either, it is pills). HOWEVER, mosquitos that carry Dengue Fever will bite during the day and there is no shot or pill that will protect against it. The only way to avoid it is to use insect repellant and other means to avoid bites (long pants and long sleeve shirts, etc).

 

2. If you are not going to eat ashore, then there is no need to worry about hepatitis A, typhoid fever, cholera or most of the other vaccinations that travelers get. Honestly, even if you eat a meal or two ashore you are unlikely to get sick if you stick with hot food and avoid drinking local water (including ice).

 

3. If you are not planning on having sex with the locals and think it is unlikely that you will need a blood transfusion, then skip getting a hepatitis B shot or shots for other blood born disease.

 

4. If you think it is unlikely that you will get bitten by a dog or other wild animal, you can skip getting a rabies vaccine.

 

5. If your tetanus vaccination is out of date (they are good for 10 years), I'd highly recommend that. If fact, I'd recommend it even if you were staying home and not going anywhere.

 

 

There is a lot of paranoia on the board of late about malaria, but really the risk is very low. There are thousands of people on this board, most won't have taken any protection at all, and if anyone got a tropical disease we would all know about it. I'm not a doctor but I travel to 3rd world countries on a regular basis so I do read up on it and I do consider myself cautious and get my vaccinations and take anti malaria medication when needed.