# What innoculations are suggested for going to Costa Rica?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-innoculations-are-suggested-for-going-to-costa-rica/371506>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 5, 2006, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-innoculations-are-suggested-for-going-to-costa-rica/371506 "2006-09-05T14:21:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-innoculations-are-suggested-for-going-to-costa-rica/371506/1 "2006-09-05T14:21:25Z")

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We will not be travelling in regular tourist areas, but rather in poorer neighborhoods. There will probably be considerable hugging of littlel kids.

What innoculations are suggested?

As always, I appreciate your help.

Jayson

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**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-innoculations-are-suggested-for-going-to-costa-rica/371506/2 "2006-09-05T14:47:44Z")

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None really. But bug repellent (bought in Costa Rica) is not just recommended, it’s an Absolute Must.

(Worked there between Sep '05 and April '06)

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**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-innoculations-are-suggested-for-going-to-costa-rica/371506/3 "2006-09-05T14:55:18Z")

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I am pretty sure there isn’t any as well. I travelled there 8 years ago. It isn’t really like a third world country. They have decent medical care and the infrastructure isn’t all that bad except the roads can be very bumpy.

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**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-innoculations-are-suggested-for-going-to-costa-rica/371506/4 "2006-09-05T15:02:40Z")

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Here’s what the CDC has to say: [link.](http://www.cdc.gov/travel/camerica.htm)

Of course this is generalized to all of Mexico and Central America, but it’s as good a reference as any other.

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**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-innoculations-are-suggested-for-going-to-costa-rica/371506/5 "2006-09-05T16:34:38Z")

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No shots were advised when I visited Costa Rica for a whitewater rafting trip a year ago.

For what it is worth, straying outside of Cancun, Mexico to visit Tulum disqualified me from donating blood for a year due to malaria risk. Rafting through the jungle in Costa Rica resulted in no such restriction.

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-innoculations-are-suggested-for-going-to-costa-rica/371506/6 "2006-09-05T16:44:40Z")

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> [@Doctor Who](#):
>
> Here’s what the CDC has to say: [link.](http://www.cdc.gov/travel/camerica.htm)
> 
> Of course this is generalized to all of Mexico and Central America, but it’s as good a reference as any other.

Of that list, the only ones I might suggest would be Hepatitis A and maybe typhoid if you are going to being eating local food in poorer neighborhoods.