Brazil: Stay Healthy on vacation!

With all the stress and worry of booking flights, finding hotels, coordinating schedules, getting the proper legal documents in hand and on time, arranging time off work or school, finishing that big project, closing that final deal, finding a house sitter, dog sitter, learning important Portuguese phrases etc. it is easy to understand how busy you will be from the moment you start planning your travel to Brazil.

How would your boss feel if you couldn't close the new overseas business because you were too sick to attend the board meeting? What good would all the planning for your vacation of a lifetime be if you spent 90% of it in the hotel bathroom, missing all the sights? Don't let your best friends' pictures and stories be the only way you have to experience Brazil.

Planning to stay healthy while you travel is the MOST important part of planning for your trip.

The best ways to ensure a safe and healthy trip are to be educated about the health risks in Brazil and get vaccinated.

For travel to Brazil, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends the following vaccinations:

• Hepatitis A and B
• Tetanus/Diphtheria/Pertussis
• Rabies
• Influenza
• Pneumococcal
• Measles/Mumps/Rubella
• Varicella (Chicken Pox)
• Typhoid
• Polio
• Yellow Fever

Most of these vaccinations are routine for citizens of the USA and you have more than likely been adequately vaccinated for some, but it is important to see a travel medicine specialist to be sure you are armed (pun intended) with the proper vaccinations and information to stay healthy in Brazil.

Now that you know about all the diseases and viruses that have preventive vaccines, you are free to take other preventive measures for the rest of the "icky" things that can effect your trip.

• Insect-Borne Diseases(Dengue Fever, Malaria): use appropriate repellents containing DEET, and prescribed Malaria medication.
  
• Travelers' Diarrhea: use antibiotics and re hydration powders (diarrhea kit available at Passport Health)
• Intestinal Infections: Swim only in properly chlorinated or salt water, wear shoes at all times (even on the beach), follow food and water precautions given by an expert.
• Jet-Lag, Motion sickness, Altitude sickness: several different medications available
• Deep Vein Thrombosis: Remain properly hydrated during flight, get up frequently to stretch your legs to maintain circulation, consider wearing pressure gradient Travel Socks
• Emergency Medical Evacuation: Obtain appropriate Travel and Evacuation Insurance

Don't let the possibility of getting sick in Brazil deter you from going. The best way to ensure safety and good health is to know the risks and take the right precautions against them.

Thank you to the CDC and our Travel Medicine Specialists for their contribution to this post.