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Amazon River Cruise


parkridge
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We are looking at an ocean cruise ship that, as part of the journey, spends 8 days on the Amazon River. It is recommended by the CDC to be vaccinated for yellow fever for trips on the River. However, the number of serious side effects from the vaccine increase if you are over 60. Has anyone over 60 taken a similar trip on the Amazon without being vaccinated or does anyone have any opinion on doing this?

 

 

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If you are contemplating a trip to an area such as this, you very much need to consult a doctor that specializes in travel medicine. (I'll admit they are not always easy to find.) My wife and I, ages 73 & 67, spent some time in the Peruvian Amazon River area and did get the vaccine without incident or side effect. A travel specialist can be of great value. For that same trip, he gave us pills for altitude sickness for when we visited Machu Picchu and Cuzco. He also discovered that those pills decrease the effect of my anti-gout drug, the only interaction with that drug that I have ever heard. (His judgment: given the severity and nature of the two disorders, better to take the altitude pills for the short time that I would need them.)

 

However, our personal experience or that of any other CC poster should mean nothing to you. I once had a heart attack, but that did not make me a cardiologist. Get professional and specialized advice.

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As per shorefolks' post, this really isn't a question that we should be answering - only your doctor knows you & your medical history and can balance out the risks of vaccinate or not.

 

But you will almost-certainly need a YF vaccination certificate or exemption certificate, because health authorities in most ports - both Brazilian ports & ports in other countries - that you visit for ten (?) days after you leave the Amazon are likely to require it. That's not for your benefit, it's so that you don't unwittingly carry the disease into their region / country during its incubation period.

 

There are exemptions from vaccination - including anyone over the age of 60 :)

But you need more than proof of age - you need a YF exemption certificate from a doctor.

 

If you decide to vaccinate it needs to be ten (??) days before your travel, so don't leave it too late.

 

BTW, rules have been relaxed in one respect - a YF certificate used to be good for ten years, after that you needed a booster. But now it's good for life (even for those who were vaccinated before the rule change).

 

JB :)

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We have done a HAL Amazon Cruise twice and both times it was necessary to have either proof of Yellow Fever vaccination or a waiver letter. Both times I heard there were cruisers either sent away or required to get a shot on the ship. If they got the shot onboard, they were not permitted to visit any port on the Amazon visited before 10 days into the cruise. The onboard was of course a lot pricier than the already expensive shot you can get prior to the cruise.

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This past September, as part of our 17 day small-group land tour of Peru, we spent 3 days in the Amazon. We were told the yellow fever vaccine was not required and at no time anywhere in Peru were we asked to provide proof. (Although we had been vaccinated for it many years ago for an African trip). What astonished me was the lodge manager in the Amazon told us we could even stop taking malaria pills as it was no longer 'a problem' in their area. (I was suspicious of his advice and kept taking them anyway). However, since all my clothing had been permethrin sprayed, I never got one bite.

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Be aware that currently the normal yellow fever vaccine is not available in the United States. The manufacturer is building a new plant and way behind schedule. They hope to have it available again before the end of 2018. So.....the CDC is using a replacement vaccine that is used in several other countries, but has never been approved by CDC. The replacement vaccine is readily available, but not at all normal yellow fever vaccination locations. Go to the CDC website for information on availability. I found a large difference in cost between facilities so if you have choices, call them to get costs (including all fees) before deciding where to go.

 

 

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