If you decide to get vaccinated before traveling, then visit a vaccination center at least six to eight weeks before your departure. There are no mandatory vaccinations for traveling to Belize, but there are several optional vaccinations that you might want to consider.

Yellow Fever

Although there are no standardized mandatory vaccinations when entering Belize, you must have a yellow fever vaccination in the case you are flying into Belize from a country where there is a risk of a yellow fever transmission. In Belize, this disease doesn‘t present any risk, but other Central American countries might be at risk, so this is Belize’s way of staying protected.

Viral Hepatitis A and B

While vaccination against Hepatitis A is recommended for all travelers older than one year, vaccination against Hepatitis B is purely at your discretion, depending on how long you plan to stay in Belize and how you intend to behave in the country. If you are, even only theoretically, thinking about having unprotected sex or if you think that there is a chance of you coming into the contact with someone else’s blood, then it is very wise to be vaccinated against Hepatitis B.

Typhoid Fever

Vaccination against typhoid fever is recommended for all travelers, with the exception of those who plan to eat all of their meals in high-quality restaurants and hotels. Likewise, this vaccination does not affect or relate to tourists who arrive in Belize for one day during their cruise and will not spend a week exploring the culinary specialties on the streets.

Tetanus

Getting a tetanus shot before traveling to Belize is a very sensible choice. You can hurt yourself anywhere, particularly when hiking, exploring a new country, climbing around ruins, and snapping pictures. If you get injured, you will not want to have to frantically think back to the date of your last tetanus shot.

Rabies

A rabies vaccination is recommended for travelers who plan to spend time outdoors in rural areas where there is a higher risk of animal bites. Similarly, if you are looking forward to spelunking or cave hikes on various adventurous expeditions, remember that bats can also carry and transmit rabies. Timely vaccination helps to eliminate the potentially serious problems that may occur if you get bit by an infected animal.

Malaria

The best protection against malaria is to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. You should always keep this basic idea in your mind. In your pocket, you should always keep insect repellent with DEET as an active ingredient. If you are planning to limit your stay to the cities and large tourist resorts, then it is up to you whether you want to take anti-malarials. Many expatriates live in Belize for many years, and neither they nor their neighbors have ever come into contact with malaria. However, there are still several thousand cases of malaria reported in Belize each year, especially in the southern and more remote areas in the rest of the country. The safest place seems to be the region around Belize City. Therefore, if you are planning a trip into the jungle or to any remote ruins, don’t take the unnecessary risk; take anti-malarials before your trip!