Vaccinations for Central America

[Sailor Deb]

I am currently in Puerto Vallarta and will be cruising down to Panama in Nov/Dec. I couldn't say when I had my last shot. Do I really need to get any?

[JPA Cate]

Hi there, Deb.

If zeehag sees your question, her answer should be interesting: she's a nurse.

IAMAT (International Association of Medical Assistance for Travelers), for a small donation, will send you tons of information about the areas you're interested in. They also discuss mosquito prophylaxis in great detail. Once you've learned what you are most likely to encounter, you can tailor your own prophylaxes, according to your preferences, and availability of vaccines.

Ann

[GordMay]

Yellow Fever ➥ https://www.iamat.org/country/panama/risk/yellow-fever

[Sailorman Ed]

Get the vacination in the US or in Cuba? How long does it last?

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Sailorman Ed

... How long does it last?

“... The yellow fever vaccine is safe and affordable and a single dose provides life-long protection against yellow fever disease. A booster dose of yellow fever vaccine is not needed ...”
➥ WHO | Yellow fever

[zeehag]

from what i have heard most folks are going without vaccines to panama from mexico.
i would check noonsite to see if there are any outbreaks as well a s WHO. if they show yellow fever to be an active issue, i would consider the vaccine.
i WOULD go to my nearest farmacia to pick up some antiviral medicine. acyclovir. they sell it over the counter. 400 mg.
i use prophylactically when i am skeeter bit. there are many funky viruses riding on skeeters--malaria, zika,dengue, and chikungunya.
as the med stops viruses from replicating, i figger it cannot hurt.
in mexico is sold autan, should be used for repelling skeeters.
screens in all ports and hatches.
i have not heard of any yellow fever issues since i left san diego, many friends have gone to panama without issues. and without vaccines.


addendum...i googled yellow fever outbreaks panama--here is what i found----(among other entries)

Current Outbreak Of Yellow Fever Is A Reminder Of The Disease's - NPR
http://www.npr.org/.../2016/.../yell...istory-of-a-lo... - Traducir esta página
28 ago. 2016 - Yellow Fever Timeline: The History Of A Long Misunderstood Disease ... to the Americas, interrupted the building of the Panama Canal and left a trail of ... In 2016 the mosquito-borne disease is making headlines once mo
and
Health Information for Travelers to Panama - Traveler view | Travelers ...
wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/panama
Traducir esta página
Note: Zika outbreaks have been reported in Panama. ... Yellow fever is a risk in certain parts of Panama, so CDC recommends the yellow fever vaccine for ..... August 05, 2016 Local transmission of Zika virus infection (Zika) has been reported.

so, there are multiple entries on this subject, in panama, some areas are affected. if you go into those areas, it could be a good idea to vaccinate first.
happy sails.

[Ardbeg]

Seems to me when I lived in Panama City 96-98 Yellow Fever was only for people travelling to Darien Jungle. Since it was full of FARC at the time I stayed away.

I would make sure all your vaccinations are up to date like tetanus ( animal bites) polio, Hep A & B etc. Most of the baddie local diseases come from mosquitos. No shots for them. I would carry a loading dose of Malarone for malaria if you will be in remote areas like beaches on east coast.

[roland stockham]

Yellow fever vaccination is not currently recommended for travel in the canal zone by any agency I know. Basic shots are i.e. Tetanus, hepatitis etc same as the rest of the Caribbean. Best bet is to look up travel recommendations from your national gov agency, they all monitor this stuff and issue travel advice. Generally travel outside the canal zone is a different area to staying in it rather than Panama being one region.

[Stillwater1]

Hello Deb

Sailor wannbe, and lurker here at CF. I spent my first 6 months after retiring at the end of 2013 in southern Mexico on the Pacific coast (Puerto Escondido and Mazunte). In September 2015 I drove my Jeep thru Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and I spent last winter in Nicaragua. So far in 2016 I have been mostly in Costa Rica, again on the Pacific coast in a small town right on the ocean. I also spent a month in Panama. None of these countries asked me for any type of proof of vaccination at immigration time.

Dengue is here, chikungunya is here, more so over on the Carribean side I have been told. I inquired in 2013 before heading down about vaccinations, and my doctor said I could get some, but as they were fairly expensive and not covered by insurance he said I could probably do without. So I did not get any.

There is a large ex-pat community here, from all over the world, it was the same where I lived in Nicaragua. I do not ask everyone, but my sense is few get the vaccinations these days as the prevalance of either malaria or yellow fever is so low. For dengue and chikungunya there are none.

If you happen to stop in Samara, Guanacaste, Costa Rica on your way down say hello, I will be here thru at least the end of 2017. I have been told in the winter months that sailboats do come and anchor in the bay in front of my house in the high season months, which interestingly is called "summer" even though we are in northern latitudes, due to the lack of rain and mostly sunny warm days and water temps. Right now we in the middle of "winter" and it is raining a lot.

[Sailor Deb]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Yellow Fever ➥ https://www.iamat.org/country/panama/risk/yellow-fever

Thanks! This link was excellent! I didn't really want that shot anyway

I'm going to stick with a tetanus booster shot and get my Hep A & B.

We've stocked up on Permethrin, some treated clothing, topical sprays and I'll look look into those pharmaceutical suggestions from Zeehag. Hopefully we'll be all good.

Thanks everyone for your input!

[Sailor Deb]

btw, Tetanus and Hepatitis A&B vaccination information below:

Nuevo Vallarta:
Hospital San Javier Riviera Nayarit

I had to pay a deposit to order the immunizations from the downtown hospital. Total cost about $85 for drugs and supplies, no charge for nurse.

[UNCIVILIZED]

There are some good tips on dealing with mosquitos & other biting insects in the thread, which would help with a good number of the diseases mentioned above. Although some gear that works in cooler climates likely wouldn't be comfortable to wear in the tropics. http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...rs-165657.html

Also, there's always info on recommended vaccines (& other travel concerns) on the US State Dept. page, ditto for the CDC, & WHO. Good luck if you'll be traveling a lot, since that could entail a lot of vaccines, as it did for a friend. She had sore arms for a while