paloewi

I still I have plenty of time before my big tour, and things could change by then, but what sorts of visas do I need to get to travel in South America. Also, as there are all sorts of cool bugs and less cool diseases there, what sorts of immunizations and vaccienes should I get/carry with me?

thanks

peter

Roughstuff

Go to a 'travel clinic' instead of an ordinary doctor/clinic and they'll probably be able to update you on alot of regulations and innoculations. For my world tour, I got yellow fever, rabies, pneumonia, and
tetanus shots. Gamma Globulin (against hepatitis) can be effective, and it can not. Use your doctors advice. I didn't get the serum.


Chloroquine (anti-malarial tablets) are widely available throughout Mexico, central and south America..i believe the common name is Aralen, but look it up. Start the regimen a few weeks before you arrive in malarial regions; once a week by mouth. Doxycycline is a good broad spectrum antibiotic to carry and can be your 2nd line of warfare against malaria in the event that you get malarial symptoms. Your 'second' anti-malarial drug must be different from the first to be effective. Just remember Doxy makes your skin sensitive to light, so cover up if/when you take it.


For diarrhea you'll need a more specific intestinal antibiotic. Go by what the doctor recommends. Gut paralyzers like Kaopectate/Immodium etc are not always effective and can make the problem worse. The odds are you'll get diarrhea from fresh vegetables and salads. I found that squeezing on lime juice, like the locals do, helped alot...it must strengthen the acid in your stomach or something, so that it kills the bugs more effectively. That was my experience anyway. In any case, after taking the antibiotics, there is a 50% chance you'll swing back to constipation, so make sure you drink alot of bottled water, sold everywhere in Mexico and central america. Don't use ice.

In the warm moist climate any small skin puncture will be infested with germs on short notice, so don't dismiss them lightly. Clean them and cover them, with mercurachrome if ya can.

Now about Visas. You should be able to get a Visa at the border of each country, so there isn't much snese in getting them in advance with all the hassle about limited validity dates and all that.

roughstuff

Roughstuff

Let me continue with the malaria issue only because I think you should be aware of the zillions of problems that people have reported from using Mefloquine, which has its generic name, and brand name Lariam. I never took it; when I got malaria on my tour it went misdiagnosed for months, and wasn't properly treated until I got back to the US and finally received Primaquine. Before you take primaquine they'll do a test for "G6PD deficiency," or else you may in turn have problems with anemia from bursted blood cells. Most doctors use Doxycycline (above letter) as their Malaria killer.

For a malaria blood test to show 'positive,' i.e. that you actually have the disease, it is necessary that you have the blood drawn during an active attack. Don't go on the 'off days' when ya feel better,because then the parasites are hiding in your liver for their next episode.

roughstuff

cyclezealot

We went to Bolivia/Peru last summer and Indonesia/Malyasia the year before...We went to our doctor..You just go to your doctor prepare yourself to spend big bucks...Our 4 immunizations to go to Indonesia cost us over $600...more than our housing costs cost us in Indonesia..
the idea of a clinic is a good one...But, our doctor told us...you don't go to tropical areas, you probably do not need immunizations....The nurse asked us specifically where are you going and knew exactly what we needed...
since we went to no tropical areas in Peru/Bolivia..last year we needed No shots...as to Visas in South America...we checked out Chile and Argentina as we considered visits there too...At the time the only country in South America to require visas was Brazil....remember, you might have to plunk down $25-45 when you exit the country as an exit tax..

Machka 

Check this site:
https://www.voyage.gc.ca/consular_home-en.asp


1. You need a passport.

2. About Visas: https://www.voyage.gc.ca/dest/ctry/visa-en.asp

3. For travel info about the countries you are going to: https://www.voyage.gc.ca/dest/cont-en.asp?continent=2

4. About immunizations and vaccines: https://www.travelvacs.ca/

5. Get health insurance.

6. Consider getting an international driver's licence.

7. Get your hostelling international membership: https://www.hihostels.ca/ or https://www.hiusa.org/

8. Check into money options. Will Interac machines be available? Will you need traveller's cheques? Can you use a credit card? Or will you need to carry local money, and if so, what sort of exchange rate is there?

9. Check customs issues with bringing your bicycle and camping supplies into the country, and also with bringing souveniers and your own stuff back into your own country.

10. Find out where your country's embassies are located.

11. Familiarize yourself the the local laws and customs.


Just a few things to prepare for.

Cyclist0383

Lariam is some weird stuff. It gave me the most vivid, lucid, colorful dreams. I had the positive end of the side effect spectrum. So people have reported serious mental problems from the stuff.

Here are some links about immunizations and such. Some countries will not let you in without a Yellow Fever shot. Hepatitis A and B is a must. Havrix is much better than Glamma Globium, but you need to plan and get your shots well in advance.

After you get all your shots you will be given a small book, like a passport with a record of all the shots you've been given. Take it with you as some bored border guard might give you a hard time without it.

When I travel to less developed countries I also take a few hypodermic syringes with me. If for some reason you need a shot it's nice to know that a clean needle is available, which is not always the case in remote areas.

https://www.cdc.gov/travel/tropsam.htm
https://www.aafp.org/afp/20040701/89.html
https://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...70/ai_n6159406
https://www.bchealthguide.org/healthfiles/hfile41c.stm
https://www.flatheadhealth.org/commhe...unizations.cfm

Roughstuff

Yes thats a very good point. At higher elevations the mosquito borne diseases like malaria are not widespread. But on a lengthy bike tour, you'll be at lower elevations enough for concern. I do remember the inoculations costing big bucks; and they also take a while to kick in. So get them with time to spare.


roughstuff

Camel

All great advice. I would add the Typhoid fever vaccination, and stress including the Hepatitis A&B vaccine series' (as opposed to Gammaglobulin). Give yourself a goodly 3 month lead time, as the HepB series takes this long for 3 shots.

Perhaps include the rabies series as well-depending on the style of touring you will be doing (?incuding trekking/camping). Remember it's not just dogs that may carry rabies-travelling through a bat infested area as an example. This series is not full protection, but gives you extra time to get to a clinic/doctor, and also reduces the number of post exposure shots required.

My HMO gave me vaccines for only 1 co-pay (?20$)s, but I allready had the Hep B series+booster(s). Oddly I'm still not a responder (ie no measureable titer).

Roughstuff

Tbanks..I forgot the Typhoid fever one, I did get that. Glad to hear they have gone beyond the Gamma Globulin thing for Hep A. I had the Hep B series in the early 1980s anyway, when there was anecdotal evidence that hep B antigens might help battle HIV strains. The problem is that the darn thing doesn't always work, or show measureable titer levels.

On a humorous note, I was at our good ol' local VD clinic a few months ago (no lewd comments! I go once a year just as part of my health regimen! nyah nyah. ) and I asked them to se if they could detect any malarial parasites in my blood. The nurse chuckled and asked me, why? have you been having anal sex with mosquitos?


Ahh...the joys of cycling.

roughstuff

mr bill

About Lariam: first, let me say that I'm just in the very beginning planning stages for a very large planned tour later on, so I'll definitely see a doctor about this stuff at some point. however, i'm just trying to get a feel as to what will be necessary, and it seems like you might have an idea. Anyway, I have had a couple of friends who had severe side effects to lariam at the beginning when they began taking it (vivid hallucinations, etc.). However, my plan for my tour involves travelling from a region where malaria won't be a problem to one where it will be. Would it be prudent to take the lariam the whole time I'm on the road, or should I wait until i'm near the problem areas?

Camel

According to the Roche site, dosing should begin 1 week prior to, and continue for four weeks after traveling. I'm going to assume that they mean traveling to Malaria endemic areas directly. With that in mind, were I on an extended tour (and traveling into/through Malaria zone(s)), I would start taking the dose a week before traveling into the designated area.

Roughstuff

Hmmmm...obviously talk to your doctor about the latest; but my suspicion is that you are not supposed to use Lariam prophylacticly/preventative. Use chloroquine for that unless you are clearly going into areas with chloroquine resistant strains. If you develop symptoms, then go on to the stronger stuff. I took the primaquine, if i recall, for seven consecutive days and have been OK since.

I had an equally exhaustive thread on the malaria issue on a Marine corps website; alot of grunts get assigned to central america. The stories I hear about Larium grow by the day!

roughstuff