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Health Advice for visiting Pantenal (1 Viewer)

Stevie babe

Well-known member
Hi All,
Both my wife and I are really wanting to go visit the Pantenal region of Brazil but I have a problem and that is relating to the risk of Yellow fever in that region.
As I understand it Yellow Fever does exist there and is pretty much incurable. So I look up the prospect of taking the correct vaccination but the risk of adverse effects significantly increases with age especially once over the 60 year old threshold. I am now 67.
I think I may have had a Yellow Fever Vaccination back in the late 1980s for a trip to Egypt but that was done privately for work and those records no longer exist so I cannot be sure.
So:-
1/ need I risk going to Pantenal without a vaccination and hope I did indeed have the vaccination in the 80s or
2/ Have the vaccination and hope for no side effects or
3/ Am I over reacting.
(My wife has had the vaccination).

Any advise greatly appreciated especially from those who have actually been to the Pantenal and any medically trained reader.

Thank you
 
I have neither been to the Pantanal, nor am I a medically trained professional, but personally I would seek medical advise directly from a travel clinic. This website may answer a few questions for you in the interim though.

Have a great trip, I hope to make it to Brazil in the near future.
 
The best (and possibly only) way of avoiding insect borne diseases such as yellow fever or malaria is to avoid getting bitten by insects. The general advice on using good repellent and covering bare skin is the best policy.
Most trips to Pantanal will run in the dry season for obvious reasons and insect numbers are very low so the risk of being bitten is very small.
My experience 3 years ago was exactly that ... we went in October (2014) and there were very few insects, even around the few remaining patches of water, and we never had a problem. My understanding is that yellow fever would be much more of a problem for the local resident population or people visiting during wet season and I didn't seriously consider having the vaccination for that trip.
I'm not medically trained so cannot comment on possible side effects.

I hope you decide to go (vaccinated or not) because it is a truly wonderful place.
Nick
 
Yellow Fever vaccination is supposedly only good for 10 years, so I would say even if you are sure you got the vaccine in the 80s it doesn't matter now.

I don't recall if we were advised to get the vaccine prior to our August 2010 trip to the Pantanal, but I'd already gotten it anyways for spending months in eastern Ecuador. I would look up current recommendations for the area - preventing mosquito bites may be sufficient for minimizing risk, especially during the dry season (it wasn't particularly buggy when we went). I personally would get the vaccine if it's recommended, but I'm relatively young and have never had an adverse reaction, you may rightfully have a different viewpoint.

It's an amazing place, I hope you get to go regardless!
 
Yellow Fever vaccination is supposedly only good for 10 years, so I would say even if you are sure you got the vaccine in the 80s it doesn't matter now.

It's an amazing place, I hope you get to go regardless!

No longer true, the latest opinion is that once vaccinated, you have life cover.

'Recent changes to yellow fever vaccine recommendations. In April 2013, the World Health Organization Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization concluded that a single primary dose of yellow fever vaccine is sufficient to confer sustained immunity and lifelong protection against yellow fever disease, and that a booster dose is not needed (9). This conclusion was based on a systematic review of published studies on the duration of immunity after a single dose of yellow fever vaccine, and on data that suggest vaccine failures are extremely rare and do not increase in frequency with time since vaccination (10). The advisory group noted that future studies and surveillance data should be used to identify specific risk groups, such as persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or infants, who might benefit from a booster dose. In May 2014, the World Health Assembly adopted the recommendation to remove the 10-year booster dose requirement from the International Health Regulations by June 2016 (11).'

Here's the full article from the American CDC which is a great resource for all the Americas.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6423a5.htm


A
 
Last edited:
Thanks all for your help in this - especially the CDC report that i had not seen before - thanks Andy.

It is helpful to know that most trips are in the dry season and bitey things should be a lot less than in the wet season. However while in Northern Spain last September we visited a lake but found, on arrival it was totally dry. This hadn't deterred the mozzies and I had taken around 30 bites in the space of about an hour, including bites through my (admittedly light) shirt.

On the other hand the statistics seem to show that Yellow Fever is unlikely in South America (5 cases out per 100,000 people and effects from the vaccine are rally rare and possible not much more than serious side effects from more common vaccinations.

Time to reconsider the trip
 
There have been a number of cases of Yellow Fever confirmed this year in Brazil, mostly in the south-east. As such, you may be required to present proof of vaccination when you enter the country. As stated elsewhere in this thread, the vaccination is now considered to offer lifelong coverage.

In general, the risk of contracting Yellow Fever in the Pantanal is extremely low. During the dry season there are fewer mosquitoes around, so the risk is further reduced.

All that said, best to consult with a travel doctor rather than trusting the internet!
 
There have been a number of cases of Yellow Fever confirmed this year in Brazil, mostly in the south-east. As such, you may be required to present proof of vaccination when you enter the country. As stated elsewhere in this thread, the vaccination is now considered to offer lifelong coverage.

In general, the risk of contracting Yellow Fever in the Pantanal is extremely low. During the dry season there are fewer mosquitoes around, so the risk is further reduced.

All that said, best to consult with a travel doctor rather than trusting the internet!

In my experience, proof of vaccination has only been required on entry to a country when arriving FROM, a high risk area, not when entering it?

A
 
In my experience, proof of vaccination has only been required on entry to a country when arriving FROM, a high risk area, not when entering it?
In some African countries you will be vaccinated on the spot if you can't present your papers.

The current status is always mentioned on travel advisory pages, such as this one from the NHS:
http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/destinations/south-america--antarctica/brazil.aspx

I would advice anyone to search for professional advice and not just rely on information given by amateurs (including myself) on a forum.
 
In my experience, proof of vaccination has only been required on entry to a country when arriving FROM, a high risk area, not when entering it?

A

I was regularly asked to produce proof of vaccination upon arrival in Brazil between 2004 - 2007, but not since then. I was usually arriving from Canada.

But I agree with what Xenopsiza posts above. These questions are best addressed by a health professional rather than the unwashed masses on the internet!
 
I was regularly asked to produce proof of vaccination upon arrival in Brazil between 2004 - 2007, but not since then. I was usually arriving from Canada.

But I agree with what Xenopsiza posts above. These questions are best addressed by a health professional rather than the unwashed masses on the internet!

It has been, unless you consider the CDC to be 'unwashed masses' and in that regard, speak for yourself.


A
 
So to follow up I think I should be safe for the vaccination. However will still make further enquiries to a travel clinic. Also will try to find if there is something like a check on the immune system from the NHS. I think if my immune system is low then the risk of problems will be greater. Also might have to give my liver a rest from alcohol.
Oh what fun!!!!!!
 
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