| Vaccines for disease | Recommendations | Clinical Guidance for Healthcare providers |
|---|---|---|
| Routine vaccines | Make sure you are up-to-date on all routine vaccines before every trip. Some of these vaccines include Chickenpox (Varicella) Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Flu (influenza) Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) Polio Shingles | Immunization schedules |
| COVID-19 | All eligible travelers should be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines. Please see Your COVID-19 Vaccination for more information. | COVID-19 vaccine |
| Chikungunya | There has been evidence of chikungunya virus transmission in Peru within the last 5 years. Chikungunya vaccination may be considered for the following travelers: People aged 65 years or older, especially those with underlying medical conditions, who may spend at least 2 weeks (cumulative time) in indoor or outdoor areas where mosquitoes are present in Peru, OR People planning to stay in Peru for a cumulative period of 6 months or more | Chikungunya - CDC Yellow Book |
| Hepatitis A | Recommended for unvaccinated travelers one year old or older going to Peru. Infants 6 to 11 months old should also be vaccinated against Hepatitis A. The dose does not count toward the routine 2-dose series. Travelers allergic to a vaccine component should receive a single dose of immune globulin, which provides effective protection for up to 2 months depending on dosage given. Unvaccinated travelers who are over 40 years old, are immunocompromised, or have chronic medical conditions planning to depart to a risk area in less than 2 weeks should get the initial dose of vaccine and at the same appointment receive immune globulin. | Hepatitis A - CDC Yellow Book Dosing info - Hep A |
| Hepatitis B | Recommended for unvaccinated travelers younger than 60 years old traveling to Peru. Unvaccinated travelers 60 years and older may get vaccinated before traveling to Peru. | Hepatitis B - CDC Yellow Book Dosing info - Hep B |
| Malaria | CDC recommends that travelers going to certain areas of Peru take prescription medicine to prevent malaria. Depending on the medicine you take, you will need to start taking this medicine multiple days before your trip, as well as during and after your trip. Talk to your doctor about which malaria medication you should take. Find country-specific information about malaria. | Malaria - CDC Yellow Book Considerations when choosing a drug for malaria prophylaxis (CDC Yellow Book) Malaria information for Peru. |
| Measles | Cases of measles are on the rise worldwide. Travelers are at risk of measles if they have not been fully vaccinated at least two weeks prior to departure, or have not had measles in the past, and travel internationally to areas where measles is spreading. All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, including an early dose for infants 6–11 months, according to CDC’s measles vaccination recommendations for international travel. | Measles (Rubeola) - CDC Yellow Book |
| Rabies | Dogs infected with rabies are sometimes found in Peru. Rabies is also commonly found in some terrestrial wildlife species and bats. If rabies exposures occur while in Peru, rabies vaccines may only be available in larger suburban/urban medical facilities. Rabies pre-exposure vaccination considerations include whether travelers 1) will be performing occupational or recreational activities that increase risk for exposure to potentially rabid animals and 2) might have difficulty getting prompt access to safe post-exposure prophylaxis. Please consult with a healthcare provider to determine whether you should receive pre-exposure vaccination before travel. For more information, see country rabies status assessments. | Rabies - CDC Yellow Book |
| Typhoid | Recommended for most travelers, especially those staying with friends or relatives or visiting smaller cities or rural areas. | Typhoid - CDC Yellow Book Dosing info - Typhoid |
| Yellow Fever | Recommended for travelers ≥9 months old going to areas <2,300 m (≈7,550 ft) elevation in the regions of Amazonas, Cusco, Huánuco, Junín, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Pasco, Puno, San Martín, and Ucayali, and designated areas of Ancash (far northeast), Apurímac (far north), Ayacucho (north and northeast), Cajamarca (north and east), Huancavelica (far north), La Libertad (east), and Piura (east). Generally not recommended for travel limited to the following areas west of the Andes: the regions of Lambayeque and Tumbes, and designated areas of Cajamarca (west-central), and Piura (west). Not recommended for travel limited to areas >2,300 m (≈7,550 ft) elevation, areas west of the Andes not listed above, the city of Lima (the capital), and the highland tourist areas (the city of Cusco, the Inca Trail, and Machu Picchu). | Yellow Fever - CDC Yellow Book |
2 Before you go
One of the worst things to happen to a team investigating an outbreak is for a teammate to come down with an illness during the investigation. In the best case, everyone on the team has been vaccinated against the likely infections known for the region in which the outbreak occurs. Similarly, you may need to take prophylaxis for different pathogens before, during, and after your visit. It may also be good to have some common drugs in case a member of the team comes down with an illness. The best way to prepare for this is to visit a travel medicine clinic.
2.1 Travel medicine clinic
Travel medicine clinics are typically staffed by infectious disease physicians who can recommend different vaccines, prophylaxis, and counseling on what to do in case of emergencies. Visits to a travel medicine provider are typically covered by your insurance.
These providers will examine things like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s yellow book or other resources like Shoreland Travax. Based on the ongoing disease dynamics within the country, your will see three different categories for vaccination:
- Recommended
- Generally not recommended
- Not recommended
We can look at the CDC recommendations for Peru.
2.2 Packing for your travel
2.2.1 Prescription Medications
2.2.2 Medical supplies
2.2.3 Prevention
2.2.4 First Aid
2.2.5 Documentation
It is important that you have all of your documentation along with additional copies of your documentation.
Passport you should make sure that you have a valid passport with at least 6 months of time before it expires (at the time of your visit). Additionally, you should make several copies of the identification page of your passport. It is important that you do not have both the copies and your physical passport on you at the same time when traveling. Having paper copies of your passport on you while in the field can prevent your actual passport from being stolen.
Visas check with your embassy and relationship of your home country with the country you are visiting. For example, U.S. citizens visiting Peru can check the U.S. State Departments webpage. At the time of writing, you can stay without a visa for between 30 and 183 days. If you are not a U.S. citizen, it is essential that you contact your embassy and discuss what is required in order to enter the country (e.g., for Peru you can see some of those nationals that might require an additional visa application).
Copies of prescriptions for the medications that you are taking abroad. Some medicines might be illegal in the country you are visiting and therefore it is important that you have proper documentation for them prior to going. Additionally, if you are a physician bringing medications it is important that you claim these on entry if asked.
2.3 Travel insurance
It is important that you verify that you have international health insurance before you go. The United States government does not provide insurance and your domestic policy will likely not cover you when you are abroad. If you are attending the course, the university should help to arrange for international traveler’s insurance (e.g., companies like GeoBlue among others). The CDC has more comphrehensive guides on their travel webpage.
2.4 Joining the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program
The U.S. State Department also
2.5 Fitness preparation
During field responses you will spend a lot of time on your feet in relatively warm conditions (i.e., 8-12 hours a day in the field). This is compounded by the fact that you will likely be in long pants, long sleeves, and hiking shoes or boots to protect yourself from insects. As such a base level of physical fitness and acclimation is recommended before you go. This might take the form of walking or running a few miles a day outdoors in the months leading up to your departure. You know your body better than anyone and some level of preparation goes a long way before you are in the field.