Most travellers to Brazil are advised to be up to date with hepatitis A and tetanus, diphtheria and polio, with yellow fever vaccination recommended for much of the country and malaria precautions needed in the Amazon. Your final list is confirmed at a consultation at Crewe Travel Clinic.
Most travellers to Brazil are advised to be up to date with hepatitis A and a tetanus, diphtheria and polio booster, with typhoid and yellow fever vaccination recommended for much of the country. Depending on your itinerary and activities, hepatitis B, rabies and chikungunya vaccination may also be advised, and malaria precautions are needed for the Amazon region. The exact vaccines you need depend on where you are going and what you plan to do, so book a pre-travel consultation at Crewe Travel Clinic in Cheshire to confirm your personalised plan.
Brazil is a vast and varied destination, from the beaches of Rio de Janeiro and the cultural cities of the south-east to the Amazon rainforest, the Pantanal wetlands and the Iguaçu Falls. The right travel vaccines and health precautions depend a great deal on where you are going and what you plan to do, as risks differ sharply between coastal cities, rural inland areas and the Amazon basin. Brazil is a long-haul trip from the UK, so it is worth planning your travel health well in advance.
We recommend booking a pre-travel consultation around six to eight weeks before you depart, as some vaccines need more than one dose or time to take effect. That said, it is always worth coming in even at short notice, as some protection is better than none. At Crewe Travel Clinic in Cheshire, our travel health team will review your itinerary, planned activities and medical history against current TravelHealthPro (NaTHNaC) and NHS guidance and put together a personalised plan. The recommendations below are general guidance only and are confirmed at your appointment.
Recommended for most travellers as the virus can be picked up through contaminated food and water across Brazil.
A combined booster is advised if you have not had one in the last ten years, particularly given the risk of cuts and animal injuries while travelling.
Worth considering for travellers visiting smaller towns and rural areas or staying with friends and relatives, where food and water hygiene may be harder to control.
Recommended for travel to most of Brazil, including the Amazon, the Pantanal, Iguaçu Falls and the states around Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo; a certificate may also be required at the border.
Advised for longer stays, healthcare and aid workers, and anyone who may have medical or dental treatment, a new sexual partner, tattoos or piercings.
Considered for travellers to remote or rural areas, longer trips, those working with animals and bat-cave or jungle visitors, where access to prompt treatment may be limited.
May be considered for some adults travelling to areas with active transmission, especially older travellers or those with health conditions; suitability is assessed individually.
Only occasionally advised, for example for aid or relief workers in areas affected by outbreaks or poor sanitation, rather than for routine tourism.
Malaria risk in Brazil is limited to specific areas, mainly the Amazon basin, including parts of the states of Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia and Roraima. The main coastal cities and tourist areas such as Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Salvador and the Iguaçu Falls are not malarious, and there is no risk at the falls themselves. For travel to the Amazon region, prevention combines strict mosquito-bite avoidance with antimalarial tablets where appropriate. Whether tablets are recommended depends on your exact itinerary, the season and how long you are staying, so this is assessed individually at your consultation. Bite-avoidance measures are advised for all travellers as they also protect against dengue, Zika and chikungunya, which are widespread in Brazil.
Yellow fever is present in Brazil and vaccination is recommended for travel to most of the country, including the Amazon region, the Pantanal, the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Minas Gerais, the Iguaçu Falls and many other areas. A small number of coastal areas, including parts of the city of Rio de Janeiro and the urban areas of Recife, Fortaleza and Salvador, are generally considered lower or no risk, so a health recommendation depends on your specific route. Brazil does not require a yellow fever certificate from travellers arriving directly from the UK. However, a certificate is required if you are arriving from, or have recently transited through, a country with risk of yellow fever transmission, and the vaccine is strongly advised on health grounds for most itineraries. Onward countries may also ask for proof of vaccination after a visit to Brazil. Your travel nurse will confirm both the health recommendation and any certificate requirement for your trip.
Check yellow fever certificate requirementsFood and water hygiene is important throughout Brazil: drink bottled or treated water, avoid ice of unknown origin, and choose freshly cooked, hot food to reduce the risk of travellers' diarrhoea, hepatitis A and typhoid. Insect-bite avoidance is essential, as dengue, Zika and chikungunya are widespread and are spread by daytime-biting mosquitoes, while malaria mosquitoes bite at night in the Amazon; use a repellent containing up to 50% DEET, cover up with loose long-sleeved clothing and use screened or air-conditioned rooms and a net where needed. Pregnant women and those planning a pregnancy should seek specific advice because of the risk of Zika. Rabies is present in Brazil, including in bats and dogs, so avoid contact with animals and seek urgent medical care after any bite, scratch or lick to broken skin. Some Brazilian destinations are at altitude, though most popular routes are low-lying; let us know if your itinerary includes high-altitude areas. Sun protection, safe behaviour around water and adequate travel insurance that covers your planned activities are also recommended.