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Health Information for Travelers to the Caribbean
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Anguilla (U.K.), Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados,
Bermuda (U.K.), Cayman Islands (U.K.), Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique
(France), Montserrat (U.K.), Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico (U.S.), St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent &
the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos (U.K.), Virgin Islands (U.K., U.S.) |
Note:
Please check the Outbreaks section for important updates on this region. |
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The preventive measures you need to take while traveling in the Caribbean depend on the areas you visit
and the length of time you stay. You should observe the precautions listed in this document in most areas of this region.
Travelers’ diarrhea, the number one illness in travelers, can be caused by viruses, bacteria, or parasites, which can
contaminate food or water. Infections may cause diarrhea and vomiting (E. coli, Salmonella, cholera, and parasites), fever (typhoid fever and toxoplasmosis), or liver damage (hepatitis). Make sure your food and drinking water are safe. (See below.)
Malaria is a serious, but preventable infection that can be fatal. Your risk of malaria may be high in these
countries, including cities. Prevent this deadly disease by seeing your health care provider for a prescription antimalarial drug and by protecting yourself against mosquito bites (see below).
All travelers to malaria-risk areas in the Caribbean, including infants, children, and former residents
of the Caribbean, are at risk for malaria. All travelers to Haiti are at risk for malaria, except no risk in the cruise port
of Labadee. Travelers to rural areas of the Dominican Republic, especially in the provinces bordering Haiti, are at risk for
malaria. No risk in resorts in the Dominican Republic. The other Caribbean islands pictured are not malaria-risk areas. Travelers
to Haiti and rural Dominican Republic should take chloroquine to prevent malaria. For additional information on malaria risk
and prevention, see Malaria Information for Travelers to the Caribbean. See also Preventing Malaria in the Pregnant Woman (Information for the Public) and Preventing Malaria in Infants and Children (Information for the Public).
A certificate of yellow fever vaccination may be required for entry into certain areas of these countries if you are arriving
from a tropical South American or sub-Saharan African country. For detailed information, see Comprehensive Yellow Fever Vaccination Requirements. Also, find the nearest authorized U.S. yellow fever vaccine center.
Dengue, filariasis, and leishmaniasis are diseases carried by insects that also occur in this region. Protecting yourself against insect bites
(see below) will help to prevent these diseases.
Schistosomiasis, a parasitic infection, is found in fresh water in parts of Antigua, the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe,
Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, and St. Lucia. Do not swim in fresh water (except in well-chlorinated swimming pools)
in these countries. (For more information, please see Swimming and Recreational Water Precautions.)
CDC recommends the following vaccines (as appropriate
for age):
See your doctor at least 4–6 weeks before your trip to allow time for shots to take effect.
- Hepatitis A or immune globulin (IG) should be considered if travel to areas of questionable sanitation is anticipated.
- Hepatitis B, if you might be exposed to blood (for example, health-care workers) or travelers who have sexual contact
with the local population, stay longer than 6 months in Haiti or the Dominican Republic, or might be exposed through medical
treatment.
- Rabies, if you might be exposed to wild or domestic animals through your work or recreation.
- Typhoid, particularly if you are visiting developing countries in this region.
- Yellow fever, for travelers going outside urban areas in Trinidad and Tobago.
- As needed, booster doses for tetanus-diphtheria and measles. Hepatitis B vaccine is now recommended for all infants and for children ages 11–12 years who did not receive
the series as infants.
All travelers should take the following precautions,
no matter the destination:
- Wash hands often with soap and water.
- Because motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of injury among travelers, walk and drive defensively. Avoid travel at night if possible and always use seat belts.
- Always use latex condoms to reduce the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
- Don’t eat or drink dairy products unless you know they have been pasteurized.
- Don’t share needles with anyone.
- Eat only thoroughly cooked food or fruits and vegetables you have peeled yourself. Remember: boil
it, cook it, peel it, or forget it.
- Never eat undercooked ground beef and poultry, raw eggs, and unpasteurized dairy products. Raw shellfish
is particularly dangerous to persons who have liver disease or compromised immune systems.
Travelers visiting undeveloped areas should take the
following precautions:
To stay healthy, do...
- Drink only bottled or boiled water, or carbonated (bubbly) drinks in cans or bottles. Avoid tap water,
fountain drinks, and ice cubes. If this is not possible, make water safer by BOTH filtering through an “absolute 1-micron
or less” filter AND adding iodine tablets to the filtered water. “Absolute 1-micron filters” are found in
camping/outdoor supply stores.
- If you visit an area where there is risk for malaria, take your malaria prevention medication before, during, and after travel, as directed. (See your doctor for a prescription.)
- Protect yourself from mosquito bites:
- Pay special attention to mosquito protection between dusk and dawn. This is when the type of mosquito
whose bite transmits malaria is active.
- Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and hats.
- Use insect repellents that contain DEET (diethylmethyltoluamide).
- Read and follow the directions and precautions on the product label.
- Apply insect repellent to exposed skin.
- Do not put repellent on wounds or broken skin.
- Do not breathe in, swallow, or get into the eyes (DEET is toxic if swallowed). If using a spray product,
apply DEET to your face by spraying your hands and rubbing the product carefully over the face, avoiding eyes and mouth.
- Unless you are staying in air-conditioned or well-screened housing, purchase a bed net impregnated with the insecticide permethrin or deltamethrin. Or, spray the bed net with one of these insecticides if you are unable to find a pretreated bed net.
- DEET may be used on adults, children, and infants older than 2 months of age. Protect infants by using
a carrier draped with mosquito netting with an elastic edge for a tight fit.
- Children under 10 years old should not apply insect repellent themselves. Do not apply to young children’s
hands or around eyes and mouth.
- For details on how to protect yourself from insects and how to use repellents, see Protection against Mosquitoes and Other Arthropods.
- If you are visiting friends and relatives in your home country in areas where malaria occurs, please
read the malaria prevention recommendations for recent immigrants on the CDC malaria site.
- To prevent fungal and parasitic infections, keep feet clean and dry, and do not go barefoot.
To avoid getting sick...
- Don’t eat food purchased from street vendors.
- Don’t drink beverages with ice.
- Don’t handle animals (especially monkeys, dogs, and cats), to avoid bites and serious diseases
(including rabies and plague). (For more information, please see Animal-Associated Hazards.)
- Don’t swim in fresh water. Salt water is usually safer. (For more information, please see Swimming and Recreational Water Precautions.)
What you need to bring with you:
- Long-sleeved shirt, long pants, and a hat to wear whenever possible to prevent illnesses carried by
insects (e.g., malaria, dengue, and leishmaniasis).
- Insect repellent containing DEET.
- Bed nets impregnated with permethrin. (Can be purchased in camping or military supply stores. Overseas,
permethrin or another insecticide, deltamethrin, may be purchased to treat bed nets and clothes.)
- Flying-insect spray or mosquito coils to help clear rooms of mosquitoes. The product should contain
a pyrethroid insecticide; these insecticides quickly kill flying insects, including mosquitoes.
- Over-the-counter antidiarrheal medicine to take if you have diarrhea.
- Iodine tablets and portable water filters to purify water if bottled water is not available. See above for more detailed information about water filters.
- Sunblock, sunglasses, hat.
- Prescription medications: make sure you have enough to last during your trip, as well as a copy of
the prescription(s).
After you return home:
If you have visited a malaria-risk area in Haiti or the Dominican Republic, continue taking your chloroquine
for 4 weeks after leaving the risk area.
Malaria is always a serious disease and may be a deadly illness.
If you become ill with a fever or flu-like illness either while traveling in a malaria-risk area or after you return home
(for up to1 year), you should seek immediate medical attention and should tell your health care provider
your travel history.
For more information:
Ask your doctor or check the CDC web sites for information about how to protect yourself against diseases
that occur in the Caribbean, including the following:
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Diseases carried by insects |
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Diseases carried in food or water |
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Diseases from person-to-person contact |
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