BASICS - The Rough Guide to Panama - page 50

tea lovers will usually have to content themselves with herbal varieties elsewhere - chamo-
mile ( manzanilla ) or cinnamon ( canela ) are the most common offerings.
Iced tap water is generally served on arrival in restaurants, except where water quality is
poor - Bocas, the Darién and Guna Yala - in which case you'll need to order mineral water.
< Back to Basics
HEALTH
In the construction eras of the transisthmus railroad and canal, Panama was synonym-
ous with disease, in particular yellow fever, malaria and cholera. Thankfully, times have
changed, and most of Panama poses little threat to your health: yellow fever has been
eradicated; malaria only persists in a few isolated areas; tap water is safe to drink in
most of the country, and sophisticated medical care is widely available in the main pop-
ulation centres. Your most likely medical ailment will be travellers' diarrhoea from a
change of diet and climate, or sunburn from overdoing it on the beach.
That said, you should ensure that your basic inoculations are up to date and consult a travel
medical centre professional to help you decide what other precautions to take. If you intend
only to explore the canal area and chill on the beach, you'll probably need little more than sun
block and insect repellent, but if you're bent on venturing into the Darién jungle, all kinds of
insect- and water-borne hazards need to be considered. Medical insurance is essential - see
Insurance .
Inoculations
Most inoculations that involve multiple jabs need six to eight weeks to complete. There are
no compulsory vaccinations to visit Panama but in addition to ensuring that your routine in-
jections are current (tetanus, diphtheria and polio, and MMR), hepatitis A and typhoid are
generally recommended, though you can also have a combined hepatitis A and B jab, advis-
able for long-term travellers. Yellow fever is nearly always flagged up as a hazard on health
websites in relation to Panama, although the last documented case was in 1974. Nevertheless,
there is still deemed to be a very slight risk of the disease in the Darién and remoter parts of
Guna Yala. Moreover, since November 2008 the Panamanian government has required trav-
ellers entering the country from countries where yellow fever is listed as endemic, such as
Colombia and Brazil, to carry proof of vaccination at least ten days prior to entry - ironic
given that Panama is also on the list - though this requirement is rarely enforced.
Rabies is another potential hazard, more from vampire bats in cattle-ranching areas than
from feral dogs, and one that should only really be considered by travellers expecting to
spend time in the remoter rural areas.