Central America, including Curacao, Costa Rica, and the Virgin Islands, has some enticing destinations to tempt leisure travelers. But what steps should you take to protect your health on your trip abroad?
Which vaccines should I get for travel in Central America?
When you come for your appointment at our travel clinic in Houston, we will make a tailored recommendation to help you to protect your health while you are traveling. The specific vaccines recommended for your vacation or business trip in Central America will depend on your destinations, the time of year and the activities you have planned.
We use a tailored approach to our travel vaccines because we know that every traveler and every journey is different.
The vaccines we might recommend to people visiting Central America include:
- hepatitis A
- hepatitis B
- rabies
- typhoid
We might also recommend malaria tablets to take before, during and after your trip to Central America.
What other steps can I take to protect myself and my family on our trip to Central America?
For some destinations, you will need to take extra care to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes and other insects. This is because there are some unpleasant and dangerous diseases carried by insects and mosquitoes and some of them cannot be prevented by vaccination.
We can give advice on mosquito bite avoidance, including which insect repellent is appropriate for your trip, and when you need to take particular care to avoid mosquito bites. We can also advise on making your sleeping space mosquito proof.
For many destinations, there is a risk of exposure to food- and water-borne diseases like hepatitis A and hepatitis B. You will need to support the action of the vaccines by drinking safe water and taking a few precautions with food.
For example, food that is hot and freshly cooked is safest, as is food in factory-sealed packets and tins. In some parts of the world, tap water may be contaminated with bacteria. You can treat water to make it safe to drink by boiling, filtering or using a chemical treatment.
You can learn more about food and drink precautions for travelers from the Centers for Disease Control.
How can I make an appointment for a travel health check before I go to Central America?
It’s quick and easy to make an appointment at one of our travel health clinics in Houston. Just click through to the clinics page and find your nearest branch of Global Travel Clinics. We have plenty of travel health appointments, and we can offer slots at the start or end of the day so that you don’t have to miss work to take care of your health ahead of your trip to Central America.
We have plenty of appointment slots and we recommend that you make your travel health appointment six to eight weeks before your departure date. Some travel shots are given in multiple spaced doses, so that’s why we ask you to make an appointment well before you leave.
But if you are going to a Central American destination such as Guatemala or Panama in an emergency or at the last minute, we can still help as some vaccines can be given to an accelerated schedule. So make an appointment today so that you can travel with peace of mind, knowing that you’ve made your best effort to protect your health while traveling.
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