We were planning to go to Costa Rica in December, but are now shying away due to reading about people coming back sick.
Does anyone know if this is indeed a problem?
Has anyone had an experience with this or has come back just fine?
What precautions, if any, did you take?
thank you.

What kind of sickness did they come back with.?

I think coming back from Costa Rica with an illness is rather rare, so I would like to know some of their symptoms .

Percy

Here are the symptoms:

Trouble re-adjusting to their daily grind, restlessness, a longing to be somewhere else, lost production at work as they plan thier next trip, poor vision due to repeatedly viewing of their photos.

It's classic PVDS - Pura Vida Deprivation Syndrome.

I have been 3 times...drank the tap water, ate the fruit (among a lot else) etc and only come back with a desire to go again.

12 times here, soon to be 13--hope it won't be the unlucky one!

Never sick. . .same as Tully, drank the tap water, ate whatever we pleased.

Thoroughly agree with airwayvz! PVDS--I think that's a keeper!

Seriously, have you read somewhere that a lot of people are coming back sick? Pretty sure that info would have shown up on this board. . .

I get sick more frequently at home!

you have all said it pretty well.

I think the main sickness is a longing to go back again. !!!
Percy

Coming back sick from Costa Rica has to take a lot of effort, or maybe a lot of imagination.

It is good, whenever visiting a Latin American country, to make sure that your Hepatitis A and B vaccinations, and probably tentanus and typhoid as well are up to date. We did this for a trip to Peru several years ago.

But those should be part of your health regime even in this country. Malaria pills are recommended by some, but unless you are going to be in the north, by the Nicauragan border, on the Carribbean side,that should not be a problem.

We just spent 3 weeks in Costa Rica, visiting our daughter, who lives there. We drank the tap water. She said our malaria pills were absolutely unecessary.

We did them anyway, although where we were, we saw not one mosquito.

Go...and enjoy Costa Rica.