Colombiatravel vaccines & health advice · from Calgary

Altitude in Bogotá

The Government of Canada notes that Bogotá sits at 2,600 metres above sea level and that in some parts of the country you may experience health problems because of high altitude, warning that high-altitude illness can be life-threatening. You fly in from sea level and are usually walking around within hours, which is exactly the fast ascent that causes trouble.

Prevention A slow first day, no alcohol on it, and more water than feels necessary. Know the symptoms: headache, nausea, breathlessness at rest, poor sleep, confusion. Altitude medication is prescribable by a pharmacist in Alberta — bring your itinerary and we will work through it.

Drink spiking and scopolamine

The Government of Canada describes scopolamine as a drug that temporarily incapacitates victims, leaving them disoriented and unable to make clear decisions for 24 hours or more, with overdoses reported. It names food, drinks, hand sanitiser and women’s make-up as vehicles, and nightclubs, bars, restaurants, public transport and city streets — Bogotá, Cartagena and Medellín among them — as the settings. It also reports an increase in deaths linked to online dating applications used to lure foreigners, who are then drugged and robbed or kidnapped.

Prevention Never leave a drink or food unattended or with someone you have just met, and be wary of accepting snacks, drinks, gum or cigarettes from new acquaintances. Meet new people in public, and tell someone where you are going.

Dengue

CDC describes dengue as a year-round risk in many parts of the world with outbreaks commonly every two to five years, and asks travellers to risk areas to prevent mosquito bites. The Government of Canada notes there is no vaccine or medication available in Canada to prevent it. The mosquitoes that carry it bite in daylight, so evening-only precautions miss them.

Prevention Repellent through the day, reapplied, not just at dusk. Air-conditioned or screened rooms in the lowlands and on the coast.

Oropouche

Named by the Government of Canada as a risk in Colombia and spread by the bites of midges and mosquitoes, with no vaccine or medication that protects against it. CDC does not list it on its Colombia page — so this one comes from the Canadian side only, and we say so.

Prevention Fine-mesh screens or air conditioning where you sleep. Biting midges pass straight through ordinary mosquito netting, which is the practical difference between this and dengue.

Zika

A risk in Colombia. Spread mainly by mosquito bite but also sexually, and it can cause serious birth defects. The Government of Canada asks pregnant travellers to discuss the risks with a healthcare provider.

Prevention If you are pregnant or trying to conceive, this is a conversation to have before you book rather than after.

Traveller’s diarrhoea

The Government of Canada calls it the most common illness affecting travellers, caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites, and stresses keeping hydrated. It is the thing most likely to cost you a day, and it does not care how good the hotel is.

Prevention Bottled or boiled water including for brushing teeth, ice only where you trust the kitchen, food cooked fresh and hot. Rehydration salts weigh nothing, and we can send you with a standby antibiotic where appropriate.

Insect-borne infections without a vaccine

Alongside the ones above, CDC names Chagas disease and leishmaniasis among the infections in Colombia that no vaccine prevents, together with leptospirosis and others tied to fresh water and soil. The Government of Canada also asks you to avoid getting fresh water in your eyes, mouth or nose when swimming.

Prevention Repellent, covered skin at dawn and dusk, permethrin-treated clothing for rural and jungle legs, and a screened or air-conditioned room rather than an open window.

Getting treated

The Government of Canada says good health care is limited but available in major cities and that quality varies greatly across the country. Private clinics offer emergency services and typically require advance payment in cash or by card; without proof of travel insurance you may be transferred to a public hospital where care may not meet Canadian standards. Doctors mostly speak Spanish, and ambulance response can be slow in rural areas.

Prevention Travel insurance covering medical evacuation and hospital stays, with the policy number saved offline and a Spanish copy of your medication list in your bag.

Where the advisory says not to go

The Government of Canada advises a high degree of caution in Colombia overall because of high levels of crime, and layers regional advisories on top: avoid all travel to Arauca, to much of Cauca, Caquetá, Chocó and Norte de Santander, to border zones with Venezuela, Panama and Ecuador, and to Buenaventura and the port of Tumaco; avoid non-essential travel to Putumayo, Guainía, Guaviare, Vaupés, Vichada, most of Nariño and parts of Antioquia and Meta, and to the cities of Cúcuta, Florencia, Ipiales and Popayán. San Andrés and Providencia sit at normal security precautions.

Prevention Nothing a pharmacy dispenses. Read the regional list against your actual route before booking, because tour itineraries do not always match it.

One appointment can cover everyone

Bring the whole household to the same consultation. We review each person’s records separately but plan the trip as one, which usually means fewer visits and no repeated explanations. Tell us how many people when you book so we set aside the time.

Two different ages for yellow fever

They are easy to mix up. CDC’s clinical recommendation starts at nine months of age; the entry requirement it lists applies to arriving travellers aged one year and over. If you are travelling with a baby between those two ages, or below either, bring the exact dates of birth and the itinerary and we will work through it properly rather than guess.

Hepatitis A starts at twelve months

CDC recommends it for unvaccinated travellers aged one year and over, and notes that infants aged 6 to 11 months should also be vaccinated before travel — that dose does not count towards the routine schedule and is repeated later.

Rabies is the one that changes for children

The Government of Canada lists children among those at higher risk of rabies exposure in Colombia, where it says rabies is common and carried by dogs and some wildlife including bats. Small children approach animals, are less likely to mention a scratch, and are more often bitten on the face or hands. Worth discussing per child rather than per family.

Bring what you have, not what you think we need

Any immunisation records you can find, for each traveller. Alberta records we can often look up; out-of-province and overseas records we cannot. A photo of a yellow card is plenty.