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