Shots in the Caribbean?

[Slyfox16]

If you are going to Aruba, Roatan, Samana, Belize or Curacao do you need to get malaria or other shots?

[andjusticeforall]

I went to Aruba in 2005 and was not advised to get any vaccinations. I'm not sure about the other places. I think I would consult with my doctor to be sure.

[NoPiratesPlease]

If you are going to Aruba, Roatan, Samana, Belize or Curacao do you need to get malaria or other shots?

 

No.

 

We've been to all of them, and, the ONLY one with a risk is Samana--but only because the water is suspect, not the risk of mosquito-borne diseases.

[Cosmopolitan]

Your physician will know the answer;)

[Globaliser]

If you are going to Aruba, Roatan, Samana, Belize or Curacao do you need to get malaria or other shots?

The advice that I have from my travel clinic is this: cruise ship passengers will normally not need anti-malarial medication even if their ship calls at a port in a malarial area. The reason is that the mosquitoes which carry malaria are usually only active at night. But by dusk, most cruise ships have left port and are in the open ocean, where the risk of getting bitten by a malarial mosquito is therefore extremely low. Given this, you risk more damage from the anti-malarials (some of which can be downright nasty) than you risk from getting malaria.

 

But, as always, check this with your doctor.

[Baitman19]

If you are going to Aruba, Roatan, Samana, Belize or Curacao do you need to get malaria or other shots?

 

We've been to them all and never needed shots. I can tell you this, you will not be able to give blood for 1 year after visiting Roatan or Samana.

 

You have a better chance of getting sick on the ship. Sanitize, Sanitize, Sanitize!

 

Happy Cruising

[sarahvch]

We went to Belize on a land vacation this summer. We decided to get almost every vaccine they suggested. I hurt for a week after. My muscles in my arms were sore from the injection site and my whole body ached. We took Malaria pills (I don't think there is a shot). Doctor gave us a special med because of the area we were traveling. Well it upset my stomach for most of the trip until I decided to quit taking them. We did not see one mosquito and it was rainy season. We did treat our clothes and take deet with us.

All that being said, I do suggest that you make sure you are up to date on your tetanus.

If I was not currently up to date I would opt not to get any extra vaccines (other than tetanus) and I will skip the malaria meds on this trip. We are visiting the same places you are. I think you need to also take into consideration your age and health. Like everyone else said ask your doctor or call the travel clinics.

PS my doctor told me he traveled earlier that year and passed on all of the suggested vaccines.

[PatnJudy]

The only insect related problem we have experienced after several cruises in the Caribbean and Central America was what appeared to be from a bot fly.

 

We had been home a few days and my wife noticed a sore place on her upper breast. She thought one of our cats might have stuck her with a claw. The spot got larger and redder so she went to the doctor. After several rounds of antibiotics, she got a second opinion and that doc decided to do surgery.

He told me right after he found a 'soft foreign body' that looked strange. Pathology came back as an insect larvae.

 

I was telling this story to my dermatologist and he told me it was probably a bot fly. He has seen that before and recounted an experience where he had removed almost a dozen from the back of a patient who had been someplace vacationing in Central America.

 

I haven't heard of other complaints on the message boards so i figure this is a fairly rare occurrence. We had gone out into the jungle in Belize so we figure that is where she got it.

[newmexicoNita]

My understanding, you only need to be concerned if you are spending an extended time on an island with known problems. Samana would be the only place and you are not staying there, just visiting.

 

Nita