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Health
| | Special Precautions | Certificate Required | | Yellow Fever | Yes | 1 | | Cholera | Yes | 2 | | Typhoid and Polio | 3 | No | | Malaria | 4 | N/A |
1: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from all travellers over nine months old arriving within from infected regions. The following areas are regarded as infected: Angola, Bolivia, Cameroon, Colombia, Ecuador, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Peru, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Congo (Dem Rep). Vaccination is strongly recommended for those intending to visit rural areas in the states of Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima, Toncantins, and certain areas of Minas Gerais, Parana and Sao Paulo. If in any doubt please contact the Brazilian Consulate General (see Contact Addresses section).
2: Following WHO guidelines issued in 1973, a cholera vaccination certificate is no longer a condition of entry to Brazil. However, cases of cholera were reported in 1996 and precautions are essential. Up-to-date advice should be sought before deciding whether these precautions should include vaccination as medical opinion is divided over its effectiveness. See the Health appendix for more information.
3: Immunisation against typhoid is recommended.
4: Malaria risk exists throughout the year (77 per cent vivax form and 23 per cent falciparum form) below 900m (2953ft) in Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Maranhão (western part), Mato Grosso (northern part), Pará (except Belém City), Rondônia, Roraima and Tocantins states, as well as some larger cities. The malignant falciparum form of the disease is reportedly highly resistant to both chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine. A weekly dose of 250mg of mefloquine is the recommended prophylaxis.
Food & drink: All water should be regarded as being potentially contaminated. Water used for drinking, brushing teeth or making ice should have first been boiled or otherwise sterilised. Pasteurised milk and cheese is available in towns and is generally considered safe to consume. Milk outside of urban areas is unpasteurised and should be boiled; powdered or tinned milk is available and is advised in rural areas, but make sure that it is reconstituted with pure water. Avoid dairy products which are likely to have been made from unboiled milk. Only eat well-cooked meat and fish, preferably freshly prepared and served hot. Pork, salad and mayonnaise may carry increased risk. Vegetables should be cooked and fruit peeled.
Other risks: Bilharzia (schistosomiasis) is present. Snakes and leeches may be a hazard. Avoid swimming and paddling in fresh water. Swimming pools that are well-chlorinated and maintained are safe. Other infectious diseases prevalent in Brazil include trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease) and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (on the increase). Visceral leishmaniasis is endemic (especially in the northeast). Onchocerciasis (especially northern Brazil) and Bancroftian filariasis are also present. Hepatitis A, B and D, Brazilian purpuric fever and brucellosis all occur.
Rabies is present. For those at high risk, vaccination before arrival should be considered. If you are bitten, seek medical advice without delay. For more information consult the Health appendix.
Health care: There is no reciprocal health agreement with the UK or USA. Full insurance is strongly recommended as medical costs are high. English-speaking medical staff are found mainly in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The main hospital in São Paulo is the Hospital das Clinicas.
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