Before traveling to Panama, it is advisable to find out about the vaccinations that must be up-to-date to enter the country. In this article, we discuss the subject of required and recommended vaccination. In addition, we talk about the medical requirements and give you some health advice.

Below you have an index with all the points that we are going to deal with in this article.

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Vaccinations needed to travel to Panama

Mandatory Vaccines

The only vaccine required to travel to Panama is that of the yellow fever, although only to people who come from a country where this disease is considered endemic. Among these territories we find Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica and Ecuador.



This vaccine must be applied at least 10 days before the trip and lasts for 10 years. Likewise, it will have to be reflected in the Vaccination Certificate, as it can be requested upon arrival in the country. Vaccination is required for people over one year of age.

Recommended vaccination

In the same way, regardless of the country you are from, if you are going to travel to one of these territories of the country, you should also get vaccinated against yellow fever:

  • Panama Canal
  • Colón
  • Darien
  • Balboa Islands
  • Guna yala
  • Panama East

Therefore, in these cases, even if you are from territories like Spain, you should be vaccinated (it is recommended from nine months of age). However, if you are only going to visit Panama City, you should not protect yourself against this disease, as it is not dangerous in this area.

In addition to the yellow fever vaccine, there are a number of recommended vaccines, including tetanus-diphtheria, MMR (measles, rubella, and mumps), and hepatitis A.

Also, if you are going to visit rural, it is also advised that you get vaccinated against typhoid fever. In the same way, in some cases, it is also advisable to be protected against hepatitis B. Finally, to travel along the Atlantic coast and the borders with Costa Rica and Colombia it is advisable to get vaccinated against malaria.



Other sanitary recommendations

Although, as reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain, there is currently no dengue epidemic in Panama, caution must be exercised with mosquitoes, which increase in the rainy season.

Therefore, it is advisable to purchase a mosquito repellent and wear long-sleeved clothing. The parts where more caution must be exercised are in rural areas, jungle areas and the most marginal neighborhoods of cities.

Also, against malaria there is no vaccine, but it is possible to take a medication that protects you. The downside of this drug is that it must be taken before, during and after the trip, and it can have some side effects.

Regarding the Zika virus, it is recommended that pregnant women avoid traveling to the tropics, especially the San Blas islands, as this disease can cause malformations in the fetus.

It is highly recommended that you hire a health insurance, since private hospitals are highly expensive, while public ones are quite precarious and of low quality.

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