Health in Belize

• Sights
• Restaurants
• Hotels
• Entertainment
• Shopping
• Travel Tips
• Features

Health

Belize has a high standard of health and hygiene. You can drink the water in Belize City, the Cayo, Placencia, on Ambergris Caye, and in most other areas you are likely to visit, though many visitors prefer the taste of bottled water. In remote villages, however, water may come from shallow wells or cisterns and may not be safe to drink. The water on Caye Caulker often smells of sulfur.

HIV/AIDS is an increasing concern in Central America, especially in Belize, where the incidence on a per capita basis is the highest in the region.

Shots & Medications

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there's a limited risk of malaria, hepatitis A and B, dengue fever, typhoid fever, and rabies in Central America. In most urban or easily accessible areas you need not worry. However, if you plan to spend a lot of time in the jungles, rain forests, or other remote regions, or if you want to stay for more than six weeks, check with the CDC's International Travelers Hotline.

In areas where malaria and dengue are prevalent, sleep under mosquito nets. Pack your own -- it's the only way to be sure there are no tears. Although most hotels in Belize have screened or glassed windows, your room probably will not be completely mosquito-proof. Wear clothing that covers your arms and legs, apply repellent containing at least 30% DEET, and spray for flying insects in living and sleeping areas. Also consider taking antimalarial pills; chloroquine (the commonly recommended antimalarial for Belize) is sold as Aralen in Central America. It must be started a week before entering an area with malaria risk. Malarone is prescribed as an alternative, and it can be started only two days before arrival in a risk area. In Belize there are fewer than 1,000 reported cases of malaria a year, mostly in the far south.

Rabies is always a concern when you get bitten by a stray dog or other wild animal; scrub the wound under clean, running water with soap or iodine -- or, failing those, some local rum -- and get antirabies shots immediately.

Travelers should have up-to-date shots for tetanus and hepatitis A and B. Children traveling to Central America should have current inoculations against measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis, and polio.