Help - Iguazzu Falls - Yellow Fever Shot Needed?

[BCHappyGal]

To any of you who have included Iguazzu Falls as a 1 night excursion out of Buenos Aires.

Did you get a Yellow Fever vaccination?

If you did what were the side effects that you suffered?

How bad were the mosquitos in Iguazzu Falls?

 

Ann

[Ribbon50]

I was there a few years ago. Mosquitos active near dusk usually but no worse than many other places in the world. I've had 3 YF shots over the past 35 years or so. No side effects and I'm usually whiny with shots. YF is uncommon in South America but you don't want to get it. The shot's good for 10 yrs. so if you do the Amazon in 8 yrs and central Africa in 9, you're still covered.

[Aussie Gal]

We Australians have to get a Yellow Fever injection if we go to Brazil and some of the other countries in S.A. I am not looking forward to the injection, but it is better to be safe than sorry. We will be staying in Rio and going to the Igauzu falls in Janaury 2006.

 

Jennie

[TMM9]

I checked out the issue of yellow fever and malaria in Iguassa Falls and Rio with our local Canadian travel clinic. They said it is not necessary so I am going ahead without the shots because I like to avoid them when I can. Will be carrying a lot of DEET and wearing heavy clothing notwithstanding the heat.

 

E.T.

[Splinter]

Taking precautions for mosquitos is wise. In addition to DEET repellant and long slacks and long sleeves, consider a mosquit net hat. The area is a dengue fever area, with big sign up at the airport cautioning about mosquito bites, and there is no immunization for dengue.

[Cally]

I did not get any shots for the falls. Just wore long pants and sleeves. Never got bit there...Machu Picchu was a different story...still scratching those.

[Jackie Stanton]

We are sailing out of Lima aboard the Radisson Seven Seas Mariner on 1/8/05 with a four day precruise to Machu Picchu and then spend 2 days at Iguazu Falls post-cruise. In order to visit the Falls on the Brazil side, we have to acquire a Brazilian visa.

 

We found out that because our itinerary includes Peru, we must have a yellow fever shot to enter Brazil. Check on this carefully before you go, if you intend to enter Brazil. If you stay on the Argentinian side of the falls, no visa is required, and you won't need a yellow fever shot.

[Cally]

We just returned from that exact intinery 2 weeks ago with no yellow fever shot. We started in Lima, Cuzco and Machu Picchu then on to Santiago ending in Rio with a stop at the Falls.

[Jackie Stanton]

Wow, Cally, am surprised the Brazilian counsulate gave you your visa without it. Maybe we made an error listing Lima as our port of entry. That was what triggered them to require the yellow fever shot. No biggie, as I am sure we will be travelling to Africa sometime within the next ten years and it is required in most equatorial countries these days!

BTW...how was your trip?

[Kayelache]

We were in Brazil aboard the Marco Polo last February. We were told that we could not board the ship without proof of a yellow fever shot, that we had to have the yellow card (listing inocculations) with our passports. There were a couple of people of the cruise (we started in Buenos Aires) who had been told by their travel agents that they didn't need the shots, and so did not get them. It was only a something like 6 or 7 days from the time they arrived in BA and the time we entered Brazil and the shots have to be given two weeks before. I don't know what they did. I know the cruise line people were pretty upset. We got ours some two months before we went, they were painless, not even a sore arm afterward.

As others have said, they are good for 10 years, so why not. They are, however, expensive, I think something like $100 each. We were going to the Amazon, but I don't think that was the only reason for the requirement. We also stopped in Rio and Recife. We didn't see a single mosquito the entire 9 days on the Amazon.

[DaisyGal]

Hello,

 

I was in Iguacu earlier this year and wasn't required to get a Yellow Fever shot (so we didn't), but it seems things may have changed! Mosquitos were a non-issue except for during our Maruco Safari ride (Brazilian side). They gave us citronella oil to rub on (we also had repellant w/ Deet), but got bit anyway - oh well. You'll definitely get wet at the falls, especially on the Devils Throat observation deck. We just wore shorts, tanks, hats, and our swim suits underneath. The falls are spectacular.

 

Have fun!

[wander]

As someone said earlier but seems to have been lost in the discussion, in SOME countries the need for a Yellow Fever shot is 100% dependent on where you have been traveling within the prior month or so. We have gone to several countries (do not remember specific, but I know one was in South America and one in Asia) where proof of the YF shots was needed because of another country we had visited on the same trip, and only because of that stop. So, just because a person goes to a specific country without needing a yellow fever shot - it does not mean that no one needs it since travel history (recent) is the key to the requirement.

 

On our South America cruise leaving from Fort Lauderdale, because of our itinerary the documents clearly stated the need for Yellow Fever shots and the yellow card required to show proof. Of course, many had not read the instructions so there were many hurried taxi rides from the ship to a local clinic that gave the shots - a real money making proposition. But, without the cards, no boarding was allowed.