| | |  Health & Beauty | April 2009 
Health Precautions for Expats and Retirees in Mexico
 Shelter Offshore
go to original
 |  | ‘Montezuma’s Revenge,’ or travellers’ tummy, tops the list of most popular ailments for those on holiday in Mexico! |  | | |
Things have moved on quite a bit from Clint Eastwood’s day when all you needed for a holiday in Mexico was a cheroot, a poncho and a six-shooter. Mind you, there are still a few areas close to the border with North America where a six-shooter will still come in handy, but today’s health advice for travel to Mexico is a little more relaxed.
Whilst Clint Eastwood did cause a bit of mayhem during his stay in Mexico and upset quite a few locals, there’s a famous Mexican Emperor who takes first place when it comes to causing travellers’ ills and ailments. Ruling Mexico between 1502-1520, Emperor Montezuma wasn’t very good when it came to fighting the Spaniards but to this very day he leaves quite a few tourists with a memento of their stay. ‘Montezuma’s Revenge,’ or travellers’ tummy, tops the list of most popular ailments for those on holiday in Mexico!
General food and water hygiene precautions, such as drinking bottled water and only eating well-prepared food, should go some way to preventing the problem, and in most cases the symptoms, along with whatever was in your stomach, will pass rapidly! You should drink plenty of fluids and if symptoms persist see a doctor. And here are a few more health precautions for expats and retirees living in Mexico as well as for those visiting the beautiful nation.
Depending on where you’re planning to live or travel to in Mexico you may need to take an anti malarial treatment (other than gin and tonic). Areas near the borders with Belize and Guatemala and the states of Chiapas, Quintana Roo and Tabasco do have a risk of malaria, there is however no risk in the major resorts along the Pacific and Gulf coasts.
All travellers to Mexico should make sure they are up to date on their Tetanus-Diphtheria shots and also varicella if they’ve never had chicken pox. It’s also advised that people planning holidays in Mexico also have immunizations for measles (there was an outbreak in 2004), hepatitis A and typhoid. If you’re planning on living in Mexico for more than 6 months, or you want to get intimate with more than just the odd taco, you may want to consider a Hepatitis B vaccine as well. Long-term travellers and expats living in Mexico are recommended to have a rabies vaccine as well.
In 2008 there were outbreaks of hepatitis A in the state of Queretaro, and Dengue Fever in Durango State and the municipalities of Jalisco, including Puerto Vallarta. As of December 2008 600 cases had been discovered, but that’s nothing but Mexican jumping beans when compared to the 67,000 cases discovered in 2007! Dengue fever is a flu-like illness which can be complicated by haemorrhages or shock, it is transmitted via mosquito bites.
As always it’s nice to end on a light note – so let us tell you that expatriates and international retirees living in Mexico, or those just travelling through, should note that scorpion bites are a health problem in many states and there’s also a nasty little bug you can pick up called Gnathostomiasis which comes from eating undercooked or raw fish, chief symptoms are migratory swellings under the skin! |
|
| |
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us