Yellow fever crisis hits Paraguay

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Title – Yellow fever crisis hits Paraguay
Source – www.bbc.co.uk
Date – 20th February 2008

Paraguay’s fight against the mosquito has taken another turn, as they are fighting the rise in cases of Dengue the latest blight is Yellow Fever, and once again it seems to have crept across the border from Brazil and moved outside of its usual jungle habitat and into more urban areas.

So should you avoid Paraguay?

The answer is no, the is no reason to take Paraguay off your itinerary for now, certainly it is worth keeping an eye on developments, but good preparation and suitable vaccinations before you go, as well as deploying good bite avoidance techniques once you’re there should help ensure your trip is a safe one as far as is possible.

The key to travel planning is to ensure you are as self-sufficient as possible, do not rely on the health service of the country you are visiting to provide the vaccinations or treatment if you get ill through failure to take sensible precautions before you leave. One of the key lessons to take away from stories like the outbreak of Yellow Fever in Paraguay is that the Yellow Fever vaccination is essential and that the health services in Paraguay are currently stretched to the limit trying to cope with their own citizens, they don’t need and may not be able to cope with visitors adding to that burden. No matter how much insurance you have you may simply not be able to get a vaccination or treatment in country if they do not have the resources.

With Yellow Fever it is imperative to get a certificate of vaccination otherwise you may well find on leaving Paraguay that many other countries (especially in Asia and Australasia) may not allow you entry as they are currently Yellow Fever free and desperately want to stay that way. Certainly with this first outbreak in 30 years, customs and quarantine officers at the points of entry will have been alerted to look out for recent Paraguay entry stamps in passports of travellers.

To many people ignore Travel Health and too many fall foul of diseases, viruses and illnesses that are wholly preventable. During our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshops we examine the most recent advice available and look at the risks of your chosen destination, arming you with the questions and suggestions you will need to take to your GP or Travel Clinic when you go for your vaccinations and prophylactics. But just as importantly we also examine what you can do to prevent and protect yourself from catching these diseases in the first place.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com