Planning a trip to Belize

[CT Mommy]

I have 4 children, daughter 6 (w/all vaccines except boosters), son 4.5 (with vaccines through 12 months), son 2.5 (no vaccines) and daughter 6 months (no vaccines). It has been our plan to NOT vaccinate any further.

But, my inlaws are planning a family trip to Believe next winter. This is our first trip out of the country w/the kids. That said, I am certain that we'll be in a fairly tourist-y area. It is recommended that we all take quinine before we go (and I'm still not sure how I feel about this), but what about vaccines?

What are your thoughts on the quinine and vacs when going to a developing country?

[Marnica]

I would not vax to go to Belize...

http://www.who.int/immunization_moni...cfm?C='blz'

there is nothing endemic happening there. practice good food hygiene and common sense.

http://www.who.int/csr/don/archive/country/blz/en/

as for quinine I would research which drug they will give you (there are several) and ythe potential side effects and decide from there.

Ask a Belize resident about malaria, and you'll often get the response, "I've lived here for 17 years, I don't take anything and I never got malaria." With mosquito eradication programs in place in Belize, malaria is much less of a problem now than it was even as late as the 1980s. But there are still several thousand cases of malaria reported in Belize every year, mainly in the south and in remote areas of the north and west. Cases of malaria are rare in populated areas such as Belize City and on the cayes. Most travelers to these areas don't take any special precautions. Note, however, that the CDC states there is malaria risk everywhere in Belize except in Belize District. If you're going to the far south or to remote jungle areas, certainly it's better to be safe than sorry. Cover up at times, such as the early evening, when the Anopheles mosquito is active, use an insect repellent with DEET, and consider taking chloroquine (trade name Aralen), generally considered a safe and effective prophylaxsis for areas where strains are not chloroquine-resistant.

http://ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/healthy.html