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There's lots to do and think about when travelling to South America and your immunisations for Peru should be high up there on your list. Sometimes it's difficult to know where to start and we're often asked “What jabs for Peru do I need?” Firstly, you should make sure you're up to date with your childhood immunisations, especially the MMR vaccine diphtheria and polio. You'll also need to make sure you've had a booster if you've not had a tetanus jab in the last ten years. The next step of your Peru vaccine requirements are what we regard as core vaccines that we recommend for much of the tropics. These are vaccines for food and water borne infections such as typhoid and hepatitis A. Finally, the remaining injections for Peru are what we call specialist vaccines. These really depend on the risk profile of you as an individual and your specific destinations & activities. The specialist vaccines for Peru may include the yellow fever vaccine (see below), hepatitis B, rabies and cholera. We'll make a careful risk assessment of your journey and following this we’d be happy to advise you on your specific Peru vaccine requirements. As a starter, take a look at the table below to give you an idea of what vaccinations for Peru you might need.
What travel vaccinations do I need for Peru?
Dr Ravi Gowda, Consultant in Infectious Diseases or one of his highly trained clinical colleagues will be looking after your vaccine requirements. Find out more about the Health Klinix team.
Who will be providing your travel injections for Peru?
"We've already said that your vaccinations for Peru are important for planning your trip but please do remember that there are other risks that aren’t always preventable by vaccines.
One potential risk is altitude sickness as Peru has several high altitude destinations. You can develop altitude sickness from a height of 2800 metres above sea level, so you do need to take precautions. Ask us for advice about altitude sickness and see if altitude sickness tablets (Diamox) are appropriate for you."
Dr Gowda's top tip for travel to Peru
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This depends on which vaccines you have. Some like the yellow fever vaccine will last a lifetime, whereas others like the cholera vaccine only lasts two years.
Please note: you will need to book a travel consultation before we can administer travel vaccinations and this costs £30 (1 person).
We'd recommend coming to see us at 4 - 6 weeks if possible as some vaccination courses last like rabies are usually over a 1 month period. We can offer super accelerated courses for last minute travellers so please do ask us if you think you’ve left it too late.
So this will vary depending on which vaccinations you choose. You’ll be re-assured to know that most people will have minimal if any side effects. This is particularly true if you’re fit and well and don’t have any allergies.
As a general rule, if you’re at risk, then inactivated travel vaccinations may be justified after a careful risk assessment. You shouldn’t, however, have live vaccines except in some special circumstances. Please contact us for more advice and we can talk things through.
Children can have most of the vaccines but often at lower doses. There are, however, age restrictions on some vaccines.
If you have underlying medical health problems then it will be even more important that you’re fully vaccinated, but depending on the underlying condition some vaccines may not be appropriate for you. You’ll need a careful risk assessment first to decide what’s right for your own individual circumstances.
Recommended malaria tablets for Peru
Malaria risk map for Peru
Travelhealthpro.co.uk
There’s no risk of malaria in the Andes part of Peru (more than 2,000 metres), Lima and the coastal regions south of Chiclayo but there is a low risk of malaria in other parts of Peru including the Amazon Basin. Despite this, the general advice is to avoid mosquito bites rather than taking malaria tablets.
However, in some situations you may need to take malaria tablets particularly if you’re vulnerable. Examples include prolonged stay in rural areas, the elderly, those with weakened immune systems or multiple medical problems. So please check with us first. If you do belong to these risk groups then the malaria tablets that can be considered are outlined in the table below.
You’re at risk of yellow fever in some parts of Peru but not in areas of high altitude (greater than 2000 metres).
If you're not sure please ask us for advice, or you can find detailed yellow fever risk for Peru here.
Peru is a complex and geographically diverse country. The Andes range lies to the west while the Eastern lowlands of Peru embraces part of the Amazon basin. Thousands of tourists flock each year to its famous Inca citadel, Machu Picchu, a portrayal of Peru’s ancient civilisation. The country’s cultural diversity is also reflected in its cuisine, festivals, museums and Lima itself (the state’s capital). Other natural attractions include the Amazon rainforests, beaches and national parks. Whatever you do, it’s important that you travel safely, so we recommend contacting us for advice on vaccinations for Peru.
All about Peru
Additional health advice and risks for Peru
You may also be at risk of the following diseases:
There’s no yellow fever vaccine certificate requirement under International Health Regulations even if you’re coming from another country where there is yellow fever transmission.
Peru vaccine certificate requirements
Authors:
Dr Ravi Gowda, Consultant in Infectious Diseases and Travel Medicine
MBBS, MRCP(UK), DTM&H, MRCGP, DCH, DRCOG, DFFP
Caitlin Lancaster, BSc
Resources: