Costa Rica

1 · Current outbreaks & official health notices

2 · Vaccines & medicines (CDC Travelers' Health)

• Routine vaccines

  Make sure you are up-to-date on all routine vaccines before every trip. Some of these vaccines include Chickenpox (Varicella) Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (DTaP, Tdap, or Td) Flu (influenza) Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) Polio Shingles

• COVID-19

  All eligible travelers should be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines. Please see Your COVID-19 Vaccination for more information.

• Chikungunya

  There is an outbreak of chikungunya in Costa Rica. Chikungunya vaccination is recommended for people traveling to an area with a chikungunya outbreak.

• Hepatitis A

  Recommended for unvaccinated travelers one year old or older going to Costa Rica. Infants 6 to 11 months old should also be vaccinated against Hepatitis A. The dose does not count toward the routine 2-dose series. Travelers allergic to a vaccine component should receive a single dose of immune globulin, which provides effective protection for up to 2 months depending on dosage given. Unvaccinated travelers who are over 40 years old, are immunocompromised, or have chronic medical conditions planning to depart to a risk area in less than 2 weeks should get the initial dose of vaccine and at the same appointment receive immune globulin.

• Hepatitis B

  Recommended for unvaccinated travelers younger than 60 years old traveling to Costa Rica. Unvaccinated travelers 60 years and older may get vaccinated before traveling to Costa Rica.

• Malaria

  CDC recommends that travelers going to certain areas of Costa Rica take prescription medicine to prevent malaria. Depending on the medicine you take, you will need to start taking this medicine multiple days before your trip, as well as during and after your trip. Talk to your doctor about which malaria medication you should take. Transmission areas Present in the provinces of Alajuela and Limón Rare to no transmission in other parts of the country Drug resistance 1 None Species P. falciparum (86%) P. vivax (14%) Recommended chemoprophylaxis Alajuela and Limón Provinces: Atovaquone-proguanil, chloroquine, doxycycline, mefloquine, tafenoquine 2 All other areas: No chemoprophylaxis recommended (insect bite precautions and mosquito avoidance only) 4 Updated April 23, 2025 See footnotes

• Measles

  Cases of measles are on the rise worldwide. Travelers are at risk of measles if they have not been fully vaccinated at least two weeks prior to departure, or have not had measles in the past, and travel internationally to areas where measles is spreading. All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, including an early dose for infants 6–11 months, according to CDC's measles vaccination recommendations for international travel .

• Monkeypox

  Monkeypox vaccination is recommended for any adult who anticipates any of the following activities during travel: Sexual or intimate contact with a new partner Sexual or intimate contact at a commercial sex venue, like a sex club or bathhouse Sexual or intimate contact in exchange for money, goods, drugs, or other trade Sexual or intimate contact in association with a large public event, such as a rave, party, or festival Get your first monkeypox vaccine at least 6 weeks before traveling if you can, or as far as possible before travel if fewer than 6 weeks before you leave. Two doses of vaccine, given 4 weeks apart, are recommended. After completing your first and second vaccine doses it takes about 2 more weeks to get the best protection against monkeypox. Whether or not you've been vaccinated, continue to take steps to reduce your risk of getting monkeypox while you are away.

• Rabies

  Dogs infected with rabies are not commonly found in Costa Rica. Rabies is present in bats. If rabies exposures occur while in Costa Rica, rabies vaccines may only be available in larger suburban/urban medical facilities. 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. Please consult with a healthcare provider to determine whether you should receive pre-exposure vaccination before travel. For more information, see country rabies status assessments .

• Typhoid

  Consider getting a typhoid vaccine if you might: Travel to areas with poor sanitation and unsafe water, including rural areas Spend a long time in Costa Rica, such as a month or more Visit friends or relatives Typhoid vaccine is not 100% effective. Practicing safe food and water habits , including washing hands at key times , can also help prevent typhoid fever .

• Yellow Fever

  CDC recommendations: Vaccine is not recommended. Country entry requirements: Vaccine is required for travelers ≥9 months old arriving from countries with risk for YF virus transmission. Included in this requirement are travelers arriving from African countries with yellow fever risk throughout (see Map 4.21.1 for those 22 countries) and partial risk (Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia) regardless of where in the country the traveler visited, and the following countries in the Americas regardless of where in the country the traveler visited: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, French Guiana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela (see Map 4.21.2 ). Country entry requirements are subject to change. Check with the embassies or consulates on your itinerary to confirm entry requirements before departure. Updated July 9, 2025

Quoted from CDC's Costa Rica destination page. These are general recommendations — which vaccines or medicines are right for you depends on your health, itinerary and activities. Discuss them with a healthcare provider or travel clinic.

3 · How to protect yourself

• See a healthcare provider or travel clinic at least a month before you leave.
• Pack hand sanitizer, a well-fitting mask, any regular medicines (in original containers), and insect repellent if visiting tropical areas.
• Eat food that is cooked and served hot; drink bottled or treated water where tap water may be unsafe.
• Avoid contact with animals, including at markets and farms.

If you get sick while traveling

• For non-emergency illness, contact your hotel, travel insurer or the nearest embassy for a list of local doctors and hospitals.
• Tell the clinician where you have traveled and any animal, mosquito or sick-person contact.
• Check that your health insurance covers care abroad; consider travel health and medical-evacuation insurance.

After you return

• If you develop a fever, rash, or other symptoms in the weeks after your trip, see a healthcare provider and tell them where you traveled.
• Some infections (for example measles or malaria) can appear weeks after return; call ahead before visiting a clinic if you have a fever and rash.
• Keep using insect repellent for 3 weeks after returning from a dengue area so local mosquitoes don't spread it.

Official pages

• CDC Travelers' Health — Costa Rica
• WHO country page — Costa Rica