AnnaRan

Help! My 18-year old daughter is leaving for Costa Rica in about a month. She'll be staying about 7 days in and around San Jose. The trip includes a boat ride on the Sarapiqui River, horseback riding in the rain forest in Puerto Viejo and a nature hike. She'll also be white river rafting down the Pacuare River. The travel brochure tells us no immunizations are needed but the CDC suggests vaccines against Hepatitus A and Typhoid Fever. It also suggests taking malaria pills. If she doesn't drink the water and stays away from washed fruits and veggies, is it necessary to get the vaccines for a 7-day trip? Thanks for your replies.

Dennis

<BR>Its not necessary for her to receive any type of immunization for the short period of time that she is going to be in Costa Rica. Make sure that her tetanus booster is up to date. Thats the only thing that I can think of. Dennis

lisa

I was in Costa Rica for two weeks last year. We considered getting the Hep A vaccine and the malaria pills but ultimately decided not to, and we were fine. However, the Hep A vaccine is highly recommended and if I were going to take any precautions, that is the one I would take -- I even know people who have gotten Hep A here in the U.S. Avoiding washed fruits & veggies will not prevent her from getting Hep A. It is always better to be safe than sorry. Malaria is virtually unheard-of in CR and I would not worry about that as much. Hep A can be contracted anywhere, including CR.

Heather

I did not get any additional vaccines and when in CR last year I was fine. It is not like Mexico with regards to the water.

nancy

GET HEP A!!!! My husband is currently in the hospital with very low liver and kidney function due to suspected Hep A. We too didn't even realize we should have been immunized prior to travel to Mexico. We were very careful about what we ate and drank. Please take the necessary precautions as you and your family do not want to go through what we are facing right now. Better safe than sorry!

Nancy

Sorry,last post should have read poor liver function. I was just reading about kidneys and wasn't thinking!!!!

merriem

Regardless of where you go, or if you stay home......get a HEP A

Peggy

I have always been afraid of getting a Hep A shot because it is a mixture of plasma & then you're relying on the Health agency to have screened the contents well enough. Is this true? My husband contracted dengue fever in Mexico last year & it was terrible. They said it was so rare BUT he still had it. What are the symptoms of Hep A?

nancy

Hi again. I am not sure of the content of the vaccine but it is definately worth researching before you get the vaccine. However,I think the pros will outweigh the cons of immunization. My husband is still awaiting final results of the Hep tests so we are still not positive however the symtoms are pretty classic and they have ruled out almost anything else. There is still a slim chance of it not being Hepatitus A. The symtoms are low grade fever, severe abdominal pain due to the liver malfunction,dark or tea coloured urine and general malaise. These are the most common ones. We live in NWT Canada,not sure if you in Canada or not but you could check with your local Health Unit for other info. I have also seached different web sites for info,Canadian Liver Foundation has good info too.Cheers.

AnnaRan

Thanks to all of you for your advice. She's decided to get the Hep A but skip the Typhoid Fever vaccine.