A Trip To South America: Vaccines You Need

Are you planning a trip to South America? You sure are collecting information. And not only of a tourist nature about what things to see in each country, where to stay or what means of transport you are going to use. You will also be collecting practical information, such as currency exchange or visas. You should also find out about the vaccinations you may need.

A trip through South America, where?

A trip through South America is something generic, since it is a vast territory. A true subcontinent. Perhaps you have the immense fortune to be preparing a tour of several months in which you are going to visit several countries, moving from the tropics to the southernmost area or vice versa.

If so, here we are going to provide you with information about the necessary vaccines in the most visited countries. If you are not so lucky, and your trip through South America focuses on a single country, this information can also be very useful. So let’s take this virtual tour from south to north, our particular journey through South America.

Vaccines for a trip to Chile

The first thing we have to say is that Chile is one of the few destinations in South America that does not require any specific vaccine. However, it is always recommended to have been vaccinated against hepatitis A and B. The latter for those who travel to the higher Andean regions. Tetanus and diphtheria vaccinations should also be up-to-date.

Vaccines in Argentina

During a trip to South America, one of the most requested vaccines in each country is yellow fever. And this is also the case in Argentina, where it is mandatory if you have been in the last year in a territory where this disease is endemic. That is, much of the rest of South America, except Argentina itself, Chile and Uruguay.

And as for other recommended vaccines, an interesting one is that of malaria or malaria  for travelers who travel through the provinces of Salta and Jujuy. Also, the hepatitis B vaccine is often recommended.

Vaccinations for a trip to Uruguay

Here it happens as in Argentina. Much of the subcontinent has yellow fever as an endemic disease. And, although this is not the case in Uruguay, the authorities force travelers to enter vaccinated to protect the population.

Vaccines to travel to Bolivia

The mandatory vaccine in Bolivia is against yellow fever. But for this trip you have to take more precautions. For example, if we include places like La Paz or Beni, it is very interesting to get immunized against malaria. And in the more tropical areas of the Bolivian Amazon, as there is no protective vaccine, you have to be very careful with the mosquitoes that transmit dengue.

Vaccines in Brazil

We can say practically the same for those who include Brazil in their trip to South America. It is mandatory to get vaccinated against yellow fever. And highly recommended to protect yourself from malaria and dengue. In addition to the fact that typhus is common in more rural areas, so it is worth getting vaccinated against it.

Vaccinations to visit Peru

In Peru it is not mandatory, but the yellow fever vaccine is highly recommended, especially if your trip is going to take you through the Amazon areas. Some areas where dengue, malaria and chagas are also common. And it is also highly recommended to carry up-to-date vaccines against hepatitis A and B, tetanus and diphtheria, as well as the triple virus.

Vaccinations for a trip to Ecuador

It is mandatory to be vaccinated against yellow fever. And as a recommendation, it is also good to be protected against typhoid fever, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningitis, rabies, tetanus and diphtheria. Not forgetting that both the Pacific coast and the upper Amazon area are territories at risk of contracting malaria, dengue, Zika and Chikunguya.

Vaccines for a trip to Colombia

And we finish with the vaccines that are mandatory and recommended to enter Colombia. In the first case, there is yellow fever. And as recommended in much of the territory are those of tetanus-diphtheria, hepatitis A and B, typhoid, cholera and triple viral.

We hope that this information will be useful to you to prepare your trip to South America. But do not forget to consult the media and official bodies first, since this regulation is permanently updated there. Keep in mind that these rules may vary at different times or depending on the sanitary conditions of the destination.