Other Brazil customs information

A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from all travellers over nine months old arriving within from infected regions. The following areas are regarded as infected: Angola, Bolivia, Cameroon, Colombia, Congo (Dem Rep), Ecuador, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Peru, Sierra Leone and Sudan. Vaccination is strongly recommended for those intending to visit rural areas.
Following WHO guidelines issued in 1973, a cholera vaccination certificate is no longer a condition of entry to Brazil. However, cases of cholera were reported in 1996 and precautions are essential. Up-to-date advice should be sought before deciding whether these precautions should include vaccination as medical opinion is divided over its effectiveness. Immunisation against typhoid is recommended.
Food and drink: All water should be regarded as being potentially contaminated. Water used for drinking, brushing teeth or making ice should have first been boiled or otherwise sterilised. Pasteurised milk and cheese is available in towns and is generally considered safe to consume. Milk outside of urban areas is unpasteurised and should be boiled; powdered or tinned milk is available and is advised in rural areas, but make sure that it is reconstituted with pure water. Avoid dairy products which are likely to have been made from unboiled milk. Only eat well-cooked meat and fish, preferably freshly prepared and served hot. Pork, salad and mayonnaise may carry increased risk. Vegetables should be cooked and fruit peeled.