Health risks during your Costa Rica travel
If you’re travelling it is always wise to check the local health conditions - what to bring with you, what to care about and what to do in a case of emergency. We put together the most important health information for your Costa Rica travel. Today: the potential health risks.
Health risks (diseases)
- Malaria: one bite of a mosquito infected with the parasite can causa Malaria. You can prevent this serious disease by protecting yourself against mosquito bites and by taking antimalarial drug (prophylactic and in emergency). Ask your medical advisor. Symptoms range from fever, chills and sweating, headache, diarrhoea and abdominal pains to a vague feeling of ill-health. Chloroquine is the recommended drug for Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, and the Bocas Del Toro Province of Panama. Get more info about Malaria in Central America here…
- Dengue fever: Signs and symptoms of dengue fever include a sudden onset of high fever, headache, joint and muscle pains, nausea and vomiting. A rash of small red spots sometimes appears three to four days after the onset of fever. There is no specific treatment. Aspirin should be avoided, as it increases the risk of haemorrhaging. There is no vaccine against dengue fever. Read more about Dengue Fever here…
- Yellow fever: if you’re travelling to Panama, read this. Yellow fever is not present in Costa Rica.
- Cholera and other food or watherborne diseases: This diarrhoeal disease can cause rapid dehydration and death. It’s transmitted from person to person by direct contact (often via healthy carriers of the disease) or via contaminated food and water. It can be spread by seafood, including crustaceans and shellfish, which get infected via sewage. Cholera exists where standards of environmental and personal hygiene are low. In Costa Rica, the risk of Cholera is very low.
- Hepatitis A: this is a virus-born disease and can cause fever, chills, headache, fatigue, feelings of weakness and aches and pains, followed by loss of appetite and yellowing of the whites of the eyes. It is transmitted by contaminated food and drinking water. Seek medical advice, but there is not much you can do apart from resting, drinking lots of fluids, eating lightly and avoiding fatty foods.There are other (and more severe) forms of Hepatitis - ask your doctor or read this
Other health risks
- Injuries: car accidents are a leading cause of injury among travelers. Ok, this should be clear: avoid drinking and driving and wear your safety belt! And: avoid boarding an overloaded bus or mini-bus. A local driver is always a good idea!
- More injuries: surfing. Surf according to your skills! Don’t try spots which are dangerous, take care of strong rip curls and always listen to locals (like us).
Please note: always consult your medical doctor about your health issues. We can’t provide you the same quality of information. This post gives you only an idea what to consider when travelling through Central America, especially Costa Rica. Although Costa Rica is a very developped country regarding its neighbours, the risk is there. Be smart!
More information - read these books if you like to know more about this topic:
- Reise- und Infektionskrankheiten (german)
- The Travel Doctor (english)
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