TRAVEL HEALTH ADVICE (click for general advice)

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

• Confirm primary courses and boosters are up to date as recommended in the vaccination schedule - including vaccines given to special groups because of risk exposure or complications (e.g. hepatitis B for health care workers, influenza and pneumococcal vaccines for the elderly).
• Courses or boosters usually advised: tetanus; hepatitis A.
• Vaccines sometimes advised: diphtheria; hepatitis B; rabies; yellow fever.
• While no human cases have been recorded, yellow fever virus is present in monkeys on the islands. Mosquitos who have bitten these monkeys are then a possible risk to humans. Travellers likely to be close to the monkeys (e.g. in rural areas) should be immunised.
• A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over 1 year of age coming from areas with risk of yellow fever transmission.

Notes on the diseases mentioned above

• Tetanus is contracted through dirty cuts and scratches. This is a serious infection of the nervous system.
• Hepatitis A is spread through contaminated food and water, causing liver inflammation and jaundice. It is commonly found in overcrowded conditions where hygiene is poor.
• Diphtheria is also spread by droplet infection through close personal contact. Vaccination is advised if close contact with locals in risk areas is likely.
• Yellow fever is spread by mosquito bites. It is a serious often fatal illness. Vaccination is recommended for those who travel into risk areas.
• Hepatitis B is spread through infected blood, contaminated needles and sexual intercourse, It affects the liver, causes jaundice and occasionally liver failure. Vaccination is recommended for those at occupational risk (e.g. health care workers), for long stays or frequent travel to medium and high risk areas, for those more likely to be exposed such as children (from cuts and scratches) and those who may need surgical procedures.
• Rabies is spread through bites or licks on broken skin from an infected animal. It is always fatal. Vaccination is advised for those going to risk areas that will be remote from a reliable source of vaccine. Even when pre-exposure vaccines have been received urgent medical advice should be sought after any animal bite.

Malaria - See Map

• Malaria - See Map not normally present unless the illness was contracted abroad.