Most UK travellers to Mexico are advised to be up to date with hepatitis A, a tetanus, diphtheria and polio booster, and typhoid, with rabies and other protection considered for some trips. Your final list is confirmed at a consultation at Crewe Travel Clinic.
For Mexico, most UK travellers are advised to be up to date with hepatitis A, a combined tetanus, diphtheria and polio booster, and typhoid, with rabies, dengue, chikungunya and MMR considered for some trips. There is no significant malaria or yellow fever risk for typical itineraries such as Cancún or Mexico City, so bite avoidance is the priority. Crewe Travel Clinic in Cheshire will review your plans and confirm exactly which vaccines you need at a consultation.
Mexico draws travellers from Crewe and across Cheshire for very different kinds of trip, from the beach resorts and Mayan ruins of Cancún and the wider Yucatán to the museums, markets and street food of Mexico City and the Pacific resorts around Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco. Whether you are planning an all-inclusive fortnight, a backpacking route, a cultural tour or a longer stay, the health advice can differ noticeably depending on where you go, how long you are away and what you intend to do, as a coastal resort break carries different risks from inland or rural travel.\n\nWe recommend booking your travel health appointment ideally six to eight weeks before you fly, as some vaccines are given as a course over several weeks and a little forward planning lets them take full effect. Even so, it is always worth contacting us at shorter notice, as there is usually still something useful we can arrange. At Crewe Travel Clinic our nurse will review your itinerary, planned activities, vaccination history and general health, then talk you through a tailored, non-individualised list that follows current TravelHealthPro (NaTHNaC) and WHO guidance for Mexico, confirmed with you in person.
Advised for almost all travellers, as hepatitis A is spread through contaminated food and water and can be picked up even at well-run resorts.
A combined booster is recommended if it has been ten years or more since your last dose, keeping your routine UK protection up to date.
Recommended for most travellers given the standard of food and water hygiene, particularly on longer trips, away from main resorts or when sampling street food.
Considered for longer or more adventurous trips, work with animals, or travel to rural areas where prompt post-exposure treatment may be hard to reach.
A vaccine may be considered for some travellers in higher-risk situations, as dengue is the main mosquito-borne concern in Mexico; suitability is assessed individually.
Spread by daytime-biting mosquitoes, chikungunya occurs in parts of Mexico, and vaccination is considered for certain travellers depending on risk and the latest guidance.
Worth checking you have had two doses, as measles still circulates and outbreaks can occur in travellers who are not fully protected.
There is no significant malaria risk for most travellers to Mexico, including the popular resorts of Cancún, the Yucatán, Mexico City and the Pacific coast, so antimalarial tablets are not usually needed. A very limited risk exists only in a few remote rural pockets, which most holidaymakers never visit. Even so, mosquito-bite avoidance remains sensible everywhere, as mosquitoes spread other illnesses such as dengue. Your nurse can confirm whether any part of your route warrants further assessment at your consultation.
There is no risk of yellow fever in Mexico, so the vaccine is not recommended for health reasons, and a certificate is not required if you are travelling directly from the UK. Mexico may, however, ask for proof of vaccination from travellers arriving from, or who have recently transited through, a country where yellow fever occurs. If your trip includes such a country first, check the current entry requirements in advance; as a Registered Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre, we can vaccinate where appropriate and issue the internationally recognised ICVP certificate.
Check yellow fever certificate requirementsStomach upsets are the most common travel problem in Mexico, so drink bottled or properly treated water, avoid ice of unknown origin, choose freshly cooked hot food and take care with salads, peeled fruit and shellfish; a simple travellers' diarrhoea kit is worth packing. Dengue is the main mosquito-borne concern and its mosquitoes bite during the day, so use a DEET-based repellent, cover up and consider a treated net at all hours. The sun and heat can be intense at coastal resorts, so pace yourself and stay hydrated, and take care with road safety on longer journeys.