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Mayan ruins, Chichen Itza, Mexico

© 123rf.com / Bruno Medley

Mexico health care and vaccinations

Vaccination identifier Special precautions
Diphtheria

Sometimes*
Hepatitis A

Yes
Malaria

No
Rabies

Sometimes*
Tetanus

Yes
Typhoid

Yes
Yellow Fever

No

Inoculation regulations can change at short notice; see www.mdtravelhealth.com for updated recommendations. Please take medical advice in the case of doubt. Where 'Sometimes' appears in the table above, precautions may be required, depending on the season and region visited.

* Potentially required if travelling for extended periods or in certain rural areas.

Comprehensive health insurance is recommended. Medical facilities are both private and state-organised and generally good. Medicines are often available without prescriptions, and pharmacists can diagnose and treat minor ailments.

Food and drink: 

Water in bottles or marked 'drinking/sterilised water' can be drunk without precautions. All other water for drinking, brushing teeth or ice should be boiled or sterilised. Milk in major cities, hotels and resorts is pasteurised; otherwise, it should be boiled. Powdered or tinned milk is available. Only eat well-cooked meat and fish, cooked vegetables and peeled fruit.

Other risks: 

Diarrhoea and sunburn affect some travellers. Outbreaks of dengue fever have occurred, chiefly in the southeast states of Chiapas and Veracruz and the northern border states of Chihuahua and Tamaulipas. Rabies is present. If bitten, seek medical advice without delay. Owing to the high altitude and level of smog in Mexico City, visitors may take some time to acclimatise.

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