IMPORTANT IMMUNIZATIONS AND
MEDICATIONS FOR TROPICAL LATIN AMERICAN TRAVEL

Following are a subset of the medications recommended by the CDC for visits to tropical Latin America. The medications below are the most important to get, and you must get vaccinations and malaria pills at least two weeks before you leave on the international field trip. Prices given are for Hudson Health Center. Registered OU students can get vaccinations and malaria medications from Hudson. Faculty and staff can get vaccinations at Hudson, but must go to their family doctor to get a prescription for the malaria pills. All trip-related medications at Hudson must be paid for in cash; these cannot be charged to your insurance.

What you need for each region

1. Southern Mexico, or Central America (advisable also for Caribbean islands)
   • Hepatitis A shot
   • Typhoid shot
   • Chloroquine pills
2. Panama and lowland South America--below 2000 meters some of the time
   • Hepatitis A shot
   • Typhoid shot
   • Tetanus shot
   • Yellow Fever shot
   • Mefloquine pills ("Larium" is one trade name)
3. South American highlands--above 2500 meters
   • Hepatitis A shot
   • Typhoid shot
   • Yellow Fever shot

Medications in detail

1. Hepatitis A vaccination--1 shot; if you plan on future trips to Latin America, get the 2nd booster shot 6 months later, and you will be "permanently" immunized; $50/shot

2. Typhoid vaccination--1 shot, good for 2 years; $30

3. Tetanus vaccination--1 shot, good for 1 year?; $9

4. Yellow Fever vaccination--1 shot; good for 10 years; $50

5. Anti-malarial pills

• North of Panama--Chloroquine pills (brand name "Aralen"); 1 pill/week on the same day each week; start taking pills 2 weeks before the trip, then each week during the trip, and for 4 more weeks after you return (this is important); $4-6/pill, so for a 3-week trip you will need 8-9 pills, for ca. $32-54.

• Panama and South America--Mefloquine pills [malaria is chloroquine-resistant in this region] (brand name "Lariam"); same treatment and price as chloroquine, above

Nurse/office in Hudson Health Center

Marilyn Weisenbach, 235 Hudson, 593-4747

You must make an appointment several days, or even a couple of weeks, in advance in order to get immunizations and medications from Marilyn.

Other useful medications to consider

Imodium--good to help stabilize "traveler's diarrhea" (may suffer at any time from regional foods or contamination)

Advil or Tylenol--for headaches, muscle aches or early cold symptoms

Prepared by Harvey Ballard; last revised 8 June, 2001

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