Most travellers to Peru are advised to be up to date with hepatitis A, typhoid and their tetanus, diphtheria and polio booster, with yellow fever recommended for jungle areas such as the Amazon. Your final list is confirmed at a consultation at Crewe Travel Clinic.
Most travellers to Peru are advised to be up to date with hepatitis A, typhoid and a tetanus, diphtheria and polio booster. Yellow fever is recommended if you are visiting jungle areas such as the Amazon, while rabies, dengue and chikungunya may be considered depending on your plans. Malaria precautions are rarely needed. Your final list depends on your itinerary, so book a consultation at Crewe Travel Clinic in Cheshire to confirm your tailored plan.
Peru is a bucket-list destination for many Cheshire travellers, blending the colonial streets and food scene of Lima with the Inca heartland around Cusco, the Sacred Valley and the climb to Machu Picchu. Others head south to Arequipa and Lake Titicaca, sandboard at Huacachina, or fly deep into the Amazon basin around Iquitos and Puerto Maldonado. Because the country spans coast, high Andes and rainforest, the health risks and the vaccines that make sense vary a great deal depending on exactly where you go and what you plan to do.
We recommend booking a pre-travel consultation around six to eight weeks before you fly, as some vaccines need more than one dose or time to take full effect. That said, it is always worth coming in even at shorter notice, as some protection is better than none. At Crewe Travel Clinic in Cheshire, our NHS-trained clinicians will review your itinerary, planned activities, medical history and vaccination record against current TravelHealthPro (NaTHNaC) and WHO guidance, then put together a tailored plan. The recommendations below are general guidance only and are always confirmed in person at your appointment.
Recommended for most travellers as the virus is picked up through food and water that may be contaminated, a risk across much of Peru.
A combined booster is advised if your last dose was more than ten years ago, covering the risk from cuts, grazes and animal injuries while trekking or travelling.
Worth considering where food and water hygiene can be harder to control, particularly for rural areas, longer stays and those visiting friends or relatives.
Recommended for travel to jungle areas below around 2,300 metres, including the Amazon basin around Iquitos and Puerto Maldonado, though it is not needed for Lima, Cusco or Machu Picchu.
Considered for remote or rural trips, longer stays, those working with animals and travellers visiting bat-roost or jungle areas where prompt treatment may be hard to reach.
May be discussed for some travellers spending time in lower-lying jungle and coastal areas where this mosquito-borne illness occurs; suitability is assessed individually.
May be considered for certain adults travelling to areas with active transmission, especially older travellers or those with health conditions, on an individual basis.
Occasionally advised for long-stay or occupational travellers, such as healthcare workers, who will live or work closely with local communities.
There is no significant malaria risk for most travellers to Peru, and the popular routes through Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca are not malarious. Very limited risk exists only in some low-lying jungle areas, so antimalarial tablets are not recommended for the great majority of itineraries. Even so, sensible mosquito-bite avoidance is still worth practising everywhere, as mosquitoes in Peru can spread other illnesses such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya. Whether any precautions apply to your trip is assessed at your consultation.
Yellow fever occurs in the jungle areas of Peru, mainly the Amazon basin below around 2,300 metres, so the vaccine is recommended on health grounds if your itinerary includes regions such as Iquitos, Puerto Maldonado or the rainforest lowlands. It is not needed for Lima, Cusco or Machu Picchu. As a Registered Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre we can vaccinate and issue the internationally recognised ICVP certificate; onward countries may also ask for proof after a jungle visit, which we will check for your route.
Check yellow fever certificate requirementsFood and water hygiene matters throughout Peru: drink bottled or treated water, avoid ice of unknown origin and choose freshly cooked, hot food to reduce travellers' diarrhoea, hepatitis A and typhoid. Use an insect repellent containing up to 50% DEET and cover up in jungle and lowland areas where dengue and other mosquito-borne illnesses occur. Altitude is the big one in Peru: Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Lake Titicaca and many trekking routes sit well above 2,500 metres, so ascend gradually, allow time to acclimatise and discuss altitude sickness with us. Sun protection and good travel insurance covering your activities are also sensible.