How to Get Immunizations Needed Before Traveling to Chile

If you want to travel to South America without exposing yourself to health risks, then Chile is relatively worry-free choice. Even the tap water is safe to drink. There is no malaria or special immunizations required for travel to Chile. You may want to visit your doctor beforehand and get a few recommended booster shots to be on the safe side.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Check the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Web site to obtain the most current list of recommended immunizations and to find out how far in advance the vaccination is needed. Hepatitis A is recommended for all travelers, except children under 1 year of age and pregnant women. It should be received at least four weeks prior to departure. Typhoid and rabies vaccinations may be necessary for extended trips or when there is a risk of exposure to these illnesses.
2. Make sure you are up-to-date on routine immunizations. Get the Mumps-Measles-Rubella (MMR) booster, unless pregnant, if you never received a second vaccination. Tetanus should be updated every 10 years. Individuals who risk exposure to Hepatitis B, as well as children who did not receive the series as infants, should receive this additional vaccination.
3. Find out the current yellow fever vaccination requirements and malaria situation for Chile at the World Health Organization Web site. Yellow fever and malaria are both transmitted by mosquito bites and Chile does not currently have areas infected with these illnesses.
4. Call your doctor at least two months in advance of your trip to make an appointment to receive the Hepatitis A and other routine immunizations at least four weeks before departure.
5. Visit your doctor to get the scheduled immunizations. An oral typhoid vaccine is available for travelers who are at least six years old, and an injection is approved for those over age two.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have an emergency in Chile, dial 131 on a local phone.
• All of the mentioned immunizations have possible side effects which include soreness, and redness at the site of the injection. You may also experience headache, nausea and abdominal pain.
• Travelers at least one year old, arriving in Chile from a country with yellow fever, must provide an "International Certificate of Vaccination" as proof of the immunization. Ask your doctor for this document when receiving a yellow fever vaccination.