Cuba, Dominican Republic and Mexico
During the winter months we see many people spending a week or so on Mexico's Mayan Riviera, in the Dominican Republic (Punta Cana, Puerto Plata and others), and in Cuba. What vaccines do such travellers need? Is a visit to a travel clinic really necessary? Certainly many people fly without going to a travel clinic and there appear to be few cases of vaccine-preventable disease arising as a result of such trips.
The risk of hepatitis A, contracted through contaminated food or water, is very low on all-inclusive resorts. The exact likelihood is unknown but we estimate it to be about 1 per 80,000 one-week trips.
Hepatitis B is transmitted via sex, needles (including an unsatisfactory medical setting) and blood transfusions. In the absence of unprotected sexual activity, the risk is generally low on short resort holidays for the typical healthy and reasonably careful traveller.
For travellers who choose to see us for such travel, we discuss the need or not for these vaccines. We provide advice and prescriptions for travellers' diarrhea. We explain the situation regarding the three viruses that are currently circulating in these vacation areas and which are causing dengue fever, Chikungunya fever, and Zika disease, and how to avoid them. We will recommend and prescribe preventative pills for resort areas of the Dominican Republic experiencing a malaria outbreak.
The risk of hepatitis A, contracted through contaminated food or water, is very low on all-inclusive resorts. The exact likelihood is unknown but we estimate it to be about 1 per 80,000 one-week trips.
Hepatitis B is transmitted via sex, needles (including an unsatisfactory medical setting) and blood transfusions. In the absence of unprotected sexual activity, the risk is generally low on short resort holidays for the typical healthy and reasonably careful traveller.
For travellers who choose to see us for such travel, we discuss the need or not for these vaccines. We provide advice and prescriptions for travellers' diarrhea. We explain the situation regarding the three viruses that are currently circulating in these vacation areas and which are causing dengue fever, Chikungunya fever, and Zika disease, and how to avoid them. We will recommend and prescribe preventative pills for resort areas of the Dominican Republic experiencing a malaria outbreak.