Under this item we provide some information relating to the health risks of travel and basic information about diseases that exist in Brazil.

NOTE: This information is not a substitute for a proper consultation with a travel physician who will review your individual medical history and your personal risk factors. Neither can it be used as the sole basis for travel or medical judgments and decisions. For this reason we do not provide detailed vaccinations or health risks.

Advice is needed not just by adventurous trekkers, but also by families taking up long term residence, by businesspeople and by short-term holidaymakers. Most travelers today fly. Outbreaks of disease can occur with alarming suddenness and then move very quickly around the world. One primary source of information on that is WHO in Geneva, Switzerland. 

Vaccination - Recommendations & Requirements

Yellow Fever: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travelers over 9 months of age coming from infected areas, unless they are in possession of a waiver stating that immunization is contraindicated on medical grounds. The following countries or areas are regarded as infected: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Vaccination is recommended for travelers to rural areas in the states of Brazil; Acre, Amapá, Amazons, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para, Rondônia, Roraima and Tocantins.

Malaria risk - P. vivax (65%), P. falciparum (35%) - is high throughout the year in most forested areas below 900m within the nine states of the "Legal Amazonia" region (Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Maranhão (western part), Mato Grosso (northern part), Para (except Belém City), Rondônia, Roraima and Tocantins). Transmission intensity varies from municipality, but it is very high in jungle areas of mining, lumbering and agricultural settlements less than 5 years old where multi-resistant P. falciparum strains are common (50%). Intensity of transmission is lower in urban areas, even in larger cities such as Pôrto Velho, Boa Vista, Macapá, Manaus, Santarém and Maraba. In the states outside "Legal Amazonia", malaria transmission risk is negligible or non-existent. Recommended prophylaxis in risk areas - MEF

Dengue risk - In urban areas, mosquitoes can be contaminated. .......

Health tips

Jetlag
Some travelers maintain that they do not suffer from jet lag. They are in the minority. Jet lag is a consequence of rapid travel to a different time zone. There are several parts to the development of jet lag:

· The direction of travel, Westward travel is easier on the system;
· The number of time zones crossed on the flight. i.e. on a North-South flight there is no jet lag;
· The time of arrival at the destination;
· The availability of sleep and alcohol on the flight. Maximize the first and minimize the other;
· How tired you were at the beginning of the flight.

To minimize the effects of jet lag remember that three cues are used to set the body clock; Sunlight, Meals and Sleep times. On arrival, or even at the time of departure, move to the time of your destination. Some travelers find aromatherapy, herbal remedies or even sleeping tablets helpful in adjusting to the time change. Medication can also be used to encourage sleep on a long flight, but cannot be combined with alcohol.

Traveling With Medical Problems
A heart attack, diabetes or chronic bronchitis are no longer reasons not to travel. People with chronic medical problems can travel not just to the UK and Europe but also to more exotic parts of the globe. This requires preparation, good advice obtained well before leaving and good travel insurance.

Medication should always be carried in the hand luggage and letters from your regular medical practitioner should be available in case you need to access medical care while away.

As a first consideration compare the level of activity at home with what is anticipated during travel. What is the environment like at home, what will it be like traveling? At the final destination what will be the stresses encountered. A bus tour through Italy will obviously be different to a high altitude trek in the Himalayas.

Diabetics need to adjust to unfamiliar foods, irregular schedules, and unaccustomed exercise. Crossing time zones, will mean changes in meal times and insulin schedules. People with lung trouble need to carefully consider travel to altitude. Sometimes medic alert bracelets are useful for travelers.