Travel Medicine

While you will read recommendations to use anti-malaria prophylaxis during travel to Honduras. However, members of our brigades have frequently opted against the use of anti-malarials, given the low risk of malaria in the Intibuca region of Honduras. Insect precautions may actually be more effective than anti-malarials, and should be practiced in any event to avoid other insect-borne diseases, particularly dengue fever. As with other recommendations below, your practices should be based on evidence, your health status, and your personal level of risk aversion. Consultation with your personal physician pre-travel is always advisable.

Typhoid Fever vaccine is listed as a recommendation by authorities, but rarely selected by past brigade participants. With hired cooks preparing all food onsite, the risk is low if you practice routine food and water precautions.

Rabies vaccine is an option, but the risk is low and very few past brigade participants have chosen to obtain rabies vaccination prior to travel.

If an office is out of a vaccine needed in short order, you can either: Call a pharmacy to see if they have it in stock to pick up and bring back to the clinic, OR call the health department about receiving it there.

Note that yellow fever vaccine is NOT required for travel to Honduras.

See other recommendations outlined below for your own pre-travel prevention. Updating standard vaccines for yourself prior to travel is always advisable (Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, tetanus/diptheria, influenza, MMR, varicella)

Pre-travel Resources

• U.S. State Dept. (country descriptions, travel warnings, emergency services for Americans living abroad) Much of what is contained on this site applies to the big cities in Honduras, we are very rural.
• CDC (traveler’s health info by region, traveling with children, safe water, vaccine info, “Yellow Book” online ‘Health Info for International Travel”, etc)
• WHO (disease tracking by country, traveler health, humanitarian crisis)
• The International Medicine Society of Travel (travel clinic directory, journal of travel medicine, travel med Listserve)
• The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
• IHMEC (info on travelers insurance) We supply this to all our volunteers and brigade members thru their fees.
• STA Travel (student ID cards with travelers insurance)
• Textbook: “Travel Medicine” Keystone, et al – Will be in many residency offices

Recommended Vaccinations:

• Hepatitis A Recommended for: all travelers.
• Typhoid Recommended for: all travelers. (note – see comments above for Santa Lucia)
• Hepatitis B Recommended for: all travelers.
• Rabies Risk should be presumed to occur in most parts of the country. Recommended for: prolonged stays with priority for young children. Also recommended for shorter stays at locations more than 24 hours travel from a reliable source of post-exposure rabies vaccine; occupational exposure; all adventure travelers, hikers, cave explorers, and backpackers. Consider for risk-averse travelers desiring maximum pre-travel preparation. Dog and bat bites or scratches while in this country should be taken seriously and post-exposure prophylaxis sought even in those already immunized.
• Influenza Flu is transmitted year round in the tropics and all travelers are at increased risk. Recommended for: all travelers over age 50; all travelers of any age with any chronic or immunocompromising conditions. Consider for any traveler wishing to decrease risk of influenza or non-specific respiratory illness. Consider anti-virals as standby therapy for those inadequately immunized.
• Routine vaccinations (adults only)
• Tetanus/diphtheria (all countries)—Adequate primary series plus one dose of Td within the last 10 years.
• Measles (all countries)—Indicated for those born in 1957 or later (1970 or later in Canada) without history of disease or of 2 adequate doses of live vaccine at any time during their life. Many countries (including the U.K.) recommend that adults need to have had only 1 countable dose at any time during their life.
• Polio - Adult polio boosters are unnecessary for travel anywhere in South and Central America.
• Pneumococcal (all countries)—All adults over 65 and those with chronic disease or compromising conditions.
• Varicella (all countries)—Consider for long-term travelers with no history of the disease.
• Malaria Risk: Risk (predominantly P. vivax) exists throughout the year in rural areas including diving resorts on the Caribbean coast and the Bay Islands (Roatan and others) and within the municipalities of Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. (Note that our physicians in rarely see cases of malaria – risk is low in the Intibuca area of Honduras)
• Malaria Prophylaxis: Recommend evening and nighttime insect precautions in risk areas. The medicine chloroquine protects against malaria in this area.
• Traveler’s diarrhea: High risk throughout the country including deluxe accommodations in major cities. Tap water is unsuitable for drinking. Drink only bottled or boiled water. Consider empiric treatment with loperamide and/or a quinolone antibiotic. Water at our sites is filtered and generally safe.