Health
Information for Travelers to Mexico
and Central America Belize, Costa
Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras,
Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama
Food and waterborne diseases are the
number one cause of illness in travelers.
Travelers’ diarrhea can be caused
by viruses, bacteria, or parasites,
which are found throughout the region
and can contaminate food or water.
Infections may cause diarrhea and
vomiting (E. coli, Salmonella, cholera,
and parasites), fever (typhoid fever
and toxoplasmosis), or liver damage
(hepatitis). Make sure your food and
drinking water are safe.
Malaria is a preventable infection
that can be fatal if left untreated.
Prevent infection by taking prescription
antimalarial drugs and protecting
yourself against mosquito bites (see
below). Malaria risk exists in some
parts of Mexico and Central America.
Travelers to malaria-risk areas in
Mexico and Central America, including
the Bocas del Toro Province of Panama,
should take chloroquine as their antimalarial
drug. Travelers to Panama in the Darien
and San Blas provinces (including
the San Blas Islands) should take
one of the following antimalarial
drugs: mefloquine (Lariam®), doxycycline,
or Malarone™.
A yellow fever vaccination certificate
may be required for entry into certain
of these countries if you are traveling
from a country in tropical South America
or sub-Saharan Africa.
Dengue, filariasis, leishmaniasis,
onchocerciasis, and American trypanosomiasis
(Chagas disease) are diseases carried
by insects that also occur in this
region. Protecting yourself against
insect bites will help to prevent
these diseases.
Because motor vehicle crashes are
a leading cause of injury among travelers,
walk and drive defensively. Avoid
nighttime travel if possible and always
use seat belts.
CDC recommends the following vaccines
(as appropriate for age):
See your doctor at least 4–6 weeks
before your trip to allow time for
immunizations to take effect.
- Hepatitis
A or immune globulin (IG).
- Hepatitis
B, if you might be exposed to
blood (for example, health-care
workers), have sexual contact
with the local population, stay
longer than 6 months, or be exposed
through medical treatment.
- Rabies,
if you might be exposed to wild
or domestic animals through your
work or recreation.
- Typhoid,
particularly if you are visiting
developing countries in this region.
- Yellow
fever for travelers to Panama
who will be going outside urban
areas.
- As
needed, booster doses for tetanus-diphtheria
and measles. Hepatitis B vaccine
is now recommended for all infants
and for children ages 11–12 years
who did not receive the series
as infants.
All travelers should take the
following precautions, no matter
the destination:
- Wash
hands often with soap and water.
- Because
motor vehicle crashes are a leading
cause of injury among travelers,
walk and drive defensively. Avoid
travel at night if possible and
always use seat belts.
- Always
use latex condoms to reduce the
risk of HIV and other sexually
transmitted diseases.
- Don’t
eat or drink dairy products unless
you know they have been pasteurized.
- Don’t
share needles with anyone.
- Eat
only thoroughly cooked food or
fruits and vegetables you have
peeled yourself. Remember: boil
it, cook it, peel it, or forget
it. Never eat undercooked ground
beef and poultry, raw eggs, and
unpasteurized dairy products.
Raw shellfish is particularly
dangerous to persons who have
liver disease or compromised immune
systems.
Travelers visiting undeveloped
areas should take the following
precautions:
To stay healthy, do...
- Drink
only bottled or boiled water,
or carbonated (bubbly) drinks
in cans or bottles. Avoid tap
water, fountain drinks, and ice
cubes. If this is not possible,
make water safer by BOTH filtering
through an “absolute 1-micron
or less” filter AND adding iodine
tablets to the filtered water.
“Absolute 1-micron filters” are
found in camping/outdoor supply
stores.
- If
you visit an area where there
is risk for malaria, take your
malaria prevention medication
before, during, and after travel,
as directed. (See your doctor
for a prescription.)
- Protect
yourself from insects by remaining
in well-screened areas, using
repellents (applied sparingly
at 4-hour intervals), and wearing
long-sleeved shirts and long pants
from dusk through dawn.
- To
prevent fungal and parasitic infections,
keep feet clean and dry, and do
not go barefoot. To avoid getting
sick...
- Don’t
eat food purchased from street
vendors.
- Don’t
drink beverages with ice.
- Don’t
share needles with anyone.
- Don’t
handle animals (especially monkeys,
dogs, and cats), to avoid bites
and serious diseases (including
rabies and plague).
What you need to bring with you:
- Long-sleeved
shirt and long pants to wear while
outside whenever possible, to
prevent illnesses carried by insects.
- Insect
repellent containing DEET (diethylmethyltoluamide),
in 30%-35% strength for adults
and 6%–10% for children, as well
as a bed net impregnated with
the insecticide permethrin. (Bed
nets can be purchased in camping
or military supply stores.)
- Over-the-counter
antidiarrheal medicine to take
if you have diarrhea.
- Iodine
tablets and portable water filters
to purify water if bottled water
is not available.
- Sunblock,
sunglasses, hat.
- Prescription
medications: make sure you have
enough to last during your trip,
as well as a copy of the prescription(s).
After you return home:
If you have visited a malaria-risk
area, continue taking your antimalarial
drug for 4 weeks (Lariam®, doxycycline)
or seven days (Malarone™) after
leaving the risk area. Travelers
who become ill with a fever or flu-like
illness while traveling in a malaria-risk
area and up to one year after returning
home should seek prompt medical
attention and should tell the physician
their travel history.
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