Vaccinations for travel to Ecuador/Galapagos & Peru

My go to for vaccines for different countries is the CDC website so I would check there first. We have traveled all over the world and have never gotten rabies vaccine for a tour. I think if you are going to be handling animals then that’s a different matter. If you are concerned, keep your distance from dogs, cats, etc.

We never got one and we’ve been to Chile, Ecuador, Argentina, and Peru, but mostly only in urban areas.

Your tour itinerary should help you decide. If you’ll be spending a lot of time in jungle areas or around wild animals that might approach you, you might want to consider it. Personally, I’d be more concerned with malaria or cholera. The tour company has probably minimized potential exposure to rabies as best it can.

Pam in MN,
Never needed or gotten a rabies vaccine. As a matter of fact, your post is the first time I have heard anyone asking about it. Check with your health plan/doctor. They may have a travel nurse/dept. who can advise you (ours does). Or check with the CDC website.

Thank you both for your fast replies. I have gone to the travel doctor in the past, but unless a certain vaccination is required for entrance into a country, I’ve decided to take my chances. The chance of contracting rabies on an organized tour seems pretty slim. But I understand I’m taking a chance. I was in South America 2 years ago, but maybe I never looked at the suggested vaccinations before. I was also pretty close to bats in Australia, but never gave it a thought . Thanks again.

Just to add that we make sure we are up to date with the usual vaccine recommendations and typhoid. The typhoid vaccine is in pill form, easy to take and gives you 5 years immunity.

Some years ago, my OH was badly bitten by a dog in France whilst out running. The local vet knew the dog was not vaccinated itself. Local doctor prescribed anti rabies jab and antibiotics. All was well in the end.

I have certainly observed more unleashed and/or feral dogs in Central America, or for that matter, China. You have to drill down to every place you are going and whether an anti-malarial is recommended for that specific destination. This involves the type of malaria, not just if mosquitoes are present. I don’t think I’ve had a rabies vaccine, but the risk is non-zero.

This is what the CDC page says for Ecuador and Galapagos:

Rabies pre-exposure vaccination considerations include whether
travelers 1) will be performing occupational or recreational
activities that increase risk for exposure to potentially rabid
animals and 2) might have difficulty getting prompt access to safe
post-exposure prophylaxis.

Peru page has similar language. As noted, dogs and possibly monkeys are the likeliest encounters that could lead to a rabies scare. If you're comfortable you'll be close enough to civilization to get treatment relatively quickly, then you can probably hedge on the vaccine, but that's a calculus you have to make for yourself. As Tim noted, malaria would be the bigger issue so you'll have to see if your tour goes to any specific locations where that is a concern. Also if you're going to high altitudes in Peru, make sure to plan accordingly. CDC has good info on that.

Thanks for everyone’s help. I went back into the CDC to look at other countries I’ve been to and discovered all of the SA and CA countries have the same warning about rabies. I’ve been to Chile, Argentina and Costa Rica without getting any special vaccinations so I’ll do the same for this trip. Thanks again.