Travel vaccinations for Argentina

Hepatitis A is a viral infection transmitted through contaminated food and water or by direct contact with an infectious person. Symptoms are often mild or absent in young children, but the disease can be more serious with advancing age. Recovery can vary from weeks to months. Following hepatitis A infection immunity is lifelong. All travellers should take care with personal, food and water hygiene. As hepatitis A vaccine is well tolerated and affords long-lasting protection, it is recommended for all previously unvaccinated travellers.

Tetanus is caused by a toxin released from Clostridium tetani bacteria and occurs worldwide. Tetanus bacteria are present in soil and manure and may be introduced through open wounds such as a puncture wound, burn or scratch. Travellers should thoroughly clean all wounds and seek medical attention for injuries such as animal bites/scratches, burns or wounds contaminated with soil. Travellers should have completed a tetanus vaccination course according to the UK schedule. If travelling to a country or area where medical facilities may be limited, a booster dose of a tetanus-containing vaccine is recommended if the last dose was more than ten years ago even if five doses of vaccine have been given previously. Country-specific information on medical facilities may be found in the 'health' section of the FCDO foreign travel advice pages.

Chikungunya is a viral infection spread by mosquitoes which bite mainly during daytime hours. It causes a flu-like illness and can cause severe joint and muscles pains which usually improve in 1–2 weeks but may persist for months or years. It is rarely fatal. There is a risk of chikungunya in this country.Information on current outbreaks, where available, will be reported on our outbreak surveillance database. Travellers should avoid mosquito bites, particularly during daytime hours. Vaccination may be considered for individuals aged 12 years of age and over who are: travelling to regions with a current chikungunya outbreak long-term or frequent travellers to regions with an increased risk of chikungunya exposed to the chikungunya virus through their work, such as laboratory staff working with the virus Detailed advice about the use and contraindications of the available vaccines will be available in the green book chikungunya chapter in the coming months. For now, please see our chikungunya in brief page for details.

Dengue is a viral infection spread by mosquitoes which mainly feed during daytime hours. It causes a flu-like illness, which can occasionally develop into a more serious life-threatening illness. Severe dengue is rare in travellers. The mosquitoes that spread dengue are more common in towns, cities and surrounding areas. There is a risk of dengue in the provinces north of and including the province of Buenos Aires. Affected provinces include: Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires D.F., Catamarca, Chaco , Cordoba, Corrientes, Entre Rios, Formosa, Jujuy, Misiones, Salta, Santa Fe, Santiago Del Estero, and Tucuman. Information on current outbreaks, where available, will be reported on our outbreak surveillance database. Travellers should avoid mosquito bites, particularly during daytime hours. Vaccination can be considered for individuals aged 4 years of age and older who have had dengue infection in the past and who are: travelling to areas where there is a risk of dengue infection or areas with an ongoing outbreak of dengue, or are exposed to dengue virus through their work, such as laboratory staff working with the virus Exceptionally, vaccination can be considered in those who have not had dengue in the past. In these situations, further expert advice should be considered. Detailed guidance on how to ascertain previous infection is available in the UK Health Security Agency Immunisation against infectious disease the 'Green book'. The final decision on vaccination rests with the health professional and the traveller after a detailed risk assessment has been performed and the potential risks of vaccination explained.

Rabies is a viral infection which is usually transmitted following contact with the saliva of an infected animal most often via a bite, scratch or lick to an open wound or mucous membrane (such as on the eye, nose or mouth). Although many different animals can transmit the virus, most cases follow a bite or scratch from an infected dog. In some parts of the world, bats are an important source of infection. Rabies symptoms can take some time to develop, but when they do, the condition is almost always fatal. The risk of exposure is increased by certain activities and length of stay (see below). Children are at increased risk as they are less likely to avoid contact with animals and to report a bite, scratch or lick. Rabies is considered a risk and has been reported in domestic animals in this country. Bats may also carry rabies-like viruses. Travellers should avoid contact with all animals. Rabies is preventable with prompt post-exposure treatment. Following a possible exposure, wounds should be thoroughly cleansed and an urgent local medical assessment sought, even if the wound appears trivial. Post-exposure treatment and advice should be in accordance with national guidelines. A full course of pre-exposure vaccines simplifies and shortens the course of post-exposure treatment and removes the need for rabies immunoglobulin which is in short supply world-wide. Pre-exposure vaccinations are recommended for travellers whose activities put them at increased risk including: those at risk due to their work (e.g. laboratory staff working with the virus, those working with animals or health workers who may be caring for infected patients). those travelling to areas where access to post-exposure treatment and medical care is limited. those planning higher risk activities such as running or cycling. long-stay travellers (more than one month).

Typhoid is a bacterial infection transmitted through contaminated food and water. Previous typhoid illness may only partially protect against re-infection. Travellers who will have access to safe food and water are likely to be at low risk. Those at increased risk include travellers visiting friends and relatives, frequent or long-stay travellers to areas where sanitation and food hygiene are likely to be poor, and laboratory personnel who may handle the bacteria for their work. Typhoid fever is known or presumed to occur in this country. All travellers should take care with personal, food and water hygiene. Vaccination could be considered for those whose activities put them at increased risk (see above). Oral and injectable typhoid vaccinations are available.

Yellow fever is a viral infection transmitted by mosquitoes which predominantly feed between dawn and dusk, but may also bite at night, especially in the jungle environment. Symptoms may be absent or mild, but in severe cases it can cause internal bleeding, organ failure and death. There is a risk of yellow fever transmission in parts of this country (see below). Travellers should avoid mosquito bites at all times. Vaccination is recommended for travellers aged 9 months and older travelling to Corrientes and Misiones Provinces including the Iguaçu Falls. Areas with low potential for exposure to yellow fever only (see green areas on the map) Vaccination is generally not recommended for travel only to areas with low potential for exposure to yellow fever: Formosa Province and designated areas of Chaco, Jujuy and Salta Provinces (see map). People aged 60 years or older should not be given the vaccine for travel to areas with a low potential for exposure due to a higher risk of life-threatening side effects. Vaccination could be considered for a small subset of travellers (aged 9 months to less than 60 years of age) for travel to areas with low potential for exposure to yellow fever who are at increased risk because of: prolonged travel. heavy exposure to mosquitoes. inability to avoid mosquito bites. Vaccination is not recommended for travellers whose itineraries are limited to areas and provinces not listed above. See vaccine recommendation map below. The yellow fever vaccine is not suitable for all travellers, there are specific undesirable effects associated with it. This vaccine is only available at registered yellow fever vaccination centres. Health professionals should carefully assess the risks and benefits of the vaccine, and seek specialist advice if necessary. Click on map to open in a new window