NGail

YF vaccination is recommended (not required) for travelers to Iguassu Falls both by Argentina and Brazil, so my guess is that YF is there, not that they're trying to keep YF-infected travelers from coming in- which is what the YF certificate is all about.

mlgb

The reason for the certificate is to protect public health, ie to limit an epidemic if by chance an outbreak should occur in areas with the disease-spreading mosquitos. At the present there is no outbreak.

Here is the WHO outbreak archive for Yellow Fever.

http://www.who.int/csr/don/archive/d...llow_fever/en/

sandys

Since the YF vaccine is only recommended, but not required, should we really get it? I don't believe that we need to show a certificate. We were quoted a cost of $170 per person for the vaccines. We have an appointment at the beginning of September. (The travel doctor's office suggested getting the vaccine around six weeks before going to Iguazu Falls.) The office said that they give the vaccine to "over 70s" all the time.

NGail. We chose the OAT tour for two reasons. The most important reason is that we have had wonderful tours with OAT in the past, and fantastic tour guides. The second reason is that we have been to Chile before on our own, and didn't want to duplicate places that we'd already seen.

mlgb

If I was over 60 (and ever more so over 70) and there was no active outbreak I would not get it unless I was planning on going to Africa in the future. The risk of adverse reaction is greater than the "O" risk of YF as long as there is no outbreak. Malaria prophylaxis and using insect protective measures against dengue are far more important. Ask them when the last time was that a casual visitor to Iguacu Falls came down with YF?

NGail

mlgb-
I think I agree with you re YF vaccine.
sandys-
We love OAT and have done 4 trips - the last to India. The OU itinerary includes 3 days at sea and also Chile.
Not an easy decision as we have lots of $$s in OAT credits!

sandys

Hmm. I'll ask our son and a friend, both MDs, if they think that the YF vaccine is wise. Thanks for the input.

NGail

sandys-
Curious to know what you've decided re the YF vaccine.

NGail

sandys-
Curious to know what you've decided re the YF vaccine.

sandys

Our friend and son both suggest that we get the vaccine. We have an appointment with a travel clinic at the beginning of September. They say that YF is spread by mosquitoes at Iguazu, so it's better to have had the vaccine. We'll be there in their early spring, which could also mean more mosquitoes.

NGail

sandys-
We'll be doing the OU trip in late February - we've never been to Chile and wanted that as well as the extra days at sea.
By now you must be thinking of packing - a challenge, isn't it, if you like to pack light, as we do..hot weather, cold weather, wet weather and also hiking boots!
Should be an exciting trip.

sandys

Hi NGail. Yes, packing will be quite a challenge for this trip with the weather extremes. We had to buy ear muffs and warm hats (cheap on ebay) since we don't need those in California. I plan to waterproof our hiking boots and some of our clothing before leaving. The weather is the biggest unknown. We've never been to Argentina, and we've only been to parts of Chile. Just a little over a month until we leave. It should be a fantastic trip.

NGail

Hi sandys-
Wanted to wish you a great trip. I'm looking forward to hearing all about it when you return.
Have fun!

NGail

Hi sandys!
How did you enjoy your trip?
Any advice for those of us yet to go?

sandys

We returned from the trip early since I fell off of a horse in Bariloche. My advice is to SKIP the included horseback ride in Bariloche.

NGail

Oh my goodness, Sandys!
That sounds awful! Are you OK now?

sandys

I'm finally fully recuperated. I broke 7 ribs and a collarbone in the fall, and had a collapsed lung.

I will never get near a horse again!!

mlgb

Wow sorry to hear that sandys!

I guess we really need a post on ..."Should I go horseback riding on vacation?"

Had a recent experience with that in Costa Rica and although no one was injured there was certainly a potential there...rocky slippery trails and competitive horses.

sandys

Even though the horseback ride was part of the tour to an estancia, we should not have been told that the ride was gentle, and no problem if you'd ever been on a horse before. I told our tour guide that it had been around 40 years since I had last been on a horse, but he said I'd be fine. Most of the trail was fine and all of the horses walked slowly. BUT near the end of the trail, my horse took off at a run (not just a gallop) when it spied the stables. It was the only horse that did so. Being an inexperienced rider, I fell off.

NGail

What a nightmare!
Sandys, I'm so glad that you're now OK.
Our riding experience in Costa Rica was just like mlgb described - rocky and steep. There was a family mixed in with our group and their kids got to to the bottom of the ravine way before the rest of us - the horses just took off - luckily the kids didn't fall off as they had absolutely no control over the horses.

sandys

Since the medical care in some countries is not as good as at home (their diagnosis was only 2 broken ribs and the broken collarbone), my suggestion is to avoid horseback riding in foreign countries, unless you're an experienced rider.