proof of vaccinations needed?
 

Hi every one,

I have most common vaccinations done last year. Do I need proof of this to enter Mexico or central America?

Thanks for your help.

Adriaan.

Never needed to show a vaccination all the way to Argentina last year. Supposedly the only one needed was yellow fever, which we carried a card, but it was never asked fit.

Hello Adrian:

There is only one vaccination that has an associated legal requirement (by international treaty), and that is Yellow Fever.

Travellers need to show proof of Yellow Fever vaccination when arriving from countries where Yellow Fever is endemic or has been recently reported present.

A few third-world countries require travellers arriving from anywhere to show proof of Yellow Fever vaccination. I don't know if any of your planned Central and South American destinations are among those who require travellers from anywhere to show proof of vaccination.

For more information, see this World Health Organization document: Yellow Fever Country List.

Be aware that this past summer, the WHO announced that Yellow Fever vaccinations will now be valid for the lifetime of the person who has been vaccinated. Previously, a vaccination was required once every 10 years. See this press release for more details: New yellow fever vaccination requirements for travellers.

Michael

nicaragua has no such requirements

I've been all over Central America and have never been asked for proof of vaccination.

Yellow fever vacs may be required for only certain regions within a country as well... I have travelled such regions and was never asked to produce proof.

Yellow fever vaccinations are in the same group as mandatory liability insurance for vehicles. Just becaus they often dont ask to see proof, doesn't mean you shouldnt have it

I was asked at the Hondureno border leaving Nicaragua by a smiling migracion official, infact he asked for the yellow fever certificate before my passport, easy way to shake down gringos.

Never asked for the card in Central or South America, but got the shot and ALL of the other preventative drugs/shots/pills.

I heard Brazil used to ask for a yellow fever card if you were coming from a country where yellow fever is a problem. I heard Brazil stopped asking for proof a number of years back. I was entered Brazil from Venezuela and again from French Guiana in 2012, was not asked for my card (which I had with me.)

Fun fact: I was denied donating blood in the US (2013) because I traveled through the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico within the past 12 months. There is a small chance of contracting malaria...and it didn't matter to the blood collectors that I had been taking anti-malaria pills.

There is currently an outbreak of yellow fever in Africa, which has taken the tropical disease specialists somewhat by surprise. The vector mosquito species is present in abundance throughout most of the Americas. It's not out of the question that at some point there will be an outbreak in South or Central America, which would lead to fresh vaccination requirements for travelers.

Or not. In fact, probably not....but it's not a bad bet to get vaccinated and carry a yellow card on any extended journey, just because you can. I've been asked for mine in various places at various times, including as a prerequisite for getting certain entry visas--and including in Latin America. Plus: on the ground it doesn't really matter much what the WHO says, or even what the official local or national rules are: it just matters who is demanding to see your yellow card, and how far they're willing to push it.

And yes, Peter: When you donate blood there are quite a few risk factors they will consider. At one time, I was banned for life based on having contracted malaria; then the rules changed, but a lot of collection stations didn't get the message. It's all pretty arbitrary, but then again our donated blood supply is reasonably safe these days.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Seems simple to me... get the inoculation + document at the same time, can save problems later.

Inoculations are like insurance .. good to have just incase.

Documents for inoculations/insurance satisfy officials and save having to repeat/duplicate stuff you already have done.

If you happen to be in an area when an out brake of a disease that you are inoculated for ... you should be able to freely continue IF you have the proof of the correct inoculation.

like donuk, i was asked "at the Hondureno border leaving Nicaragua by a smiling migracion official, infact he asked for the yellow fever certificate before my passport" :nono:

this was December 14.

so finally the free jab in Rio and my certificate came in handy.

cheers
neil

No we have not bern asked on central america borders. Crossed between September and December 2016....

Central America Border Crossings | Ayfer-Onur seyahatnamesi

The unabridged version

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowb...ion-by-country