Vaccines (Vaccinations) for Those Studying or Traveling in "the Caribbean"
Target Regions
Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, etc.
Some parts of the Caribbean region carry a risk of yellow fever, so depending on your destination, yellow fever vaccination is required.
Malaria and dengue fever have also been reported in many countries in the Caribbean, so mosquito-bite prevention is necessary.
Because there are problems with tap water contamination and food hygiene, vaccines for hepatitis A and typhoid are recommended for long-term stays.
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Recommended Vaccines
| Vaccine | Level of recommendation | Vaccines available | Number of doses | Price (all tax included) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| measles | ◎ | MMR (Priorix or MMRⅡ) | 1 to 2 doses | 10,000 yen |
| rubella | ||||
| tetanus※1 | ◎ | tetanus toxoid | 1 or 3 doses★ | 4,000 yen |
| hepatitis A※2 | ◎ | Aimmugen | 3 doses | 16,500 yen |
| Havisure | 2 doses | 13,000 yen | ||
| influenza | 〇 recommended during the epidemic season | influenza HA vaccine | 1 dose as a rule | 4,000 yen |
| rabies | 〇 recommended if you will be in contact with animals | ChiroRab | 3 doses | 13,000 yen |
| hepatitis B※2 | 〇 recommended for long-term stays | Bimmugen | 3 doses | 7,000 yen |
| typhoid | 〇 recommended for long-term stays | Typbar TCV | 1 dose | 10,000 yen |
| malaria | 〇 recommended for areas where cases occur | Malarone | Start taking it 1 to 2 days before travel Take 1 tablet once a day Continue for 1 week after returning home | 750 yen/tablet |
| Mephaquin | Start taking it 1 to 2 weeks before travel Take 1 tablet once a week Continue for 4 weeks after returning home, then finish | 1,100 yen/tablet |
★ 1 dose if the primary series was completed in childhood
※1 We also carry Tdap (tetanus, pertussis and diphtheria) at 9,000 yen (tax included) and DPT-IPV (tetanus, pertussis, diphtheria and polio) at 12,000 yen (tax included).
※2 We also carry a hepatitis A and hepatitis B combination vaccine (Twinrix) at 13,000 yen (tax included).
Diseases to watch out for at your destination are explained in detail on the page below.
Precautions During Your Stay
Preventing Infections from Food and Drink
In the Caribbean, infrastructure may not be adequate.
Care is needed regarding infections transmitted through food and drink. Avoid untreated water, ice, raw vegetables and cut fruit, and peel fruit yourself before eating it.
Hepatitis A and typhoid, which are transmitted via food and water, can be prevented with vaccination beforehand.
Risk of Contact with Wild Animals, Including Rabies
Avoiding contact with wild animals is also important.
There is a risk of rabies transmitted by dogs, bats and other animals, so take care not to approach animals and consider receiving the rabies vaccine if necessary.
Mosquito-Bite Prevention
In the Caribbean, malaria transmitted by mosquitoes has been reported across a wide area throughout the year.
The risk of dengue fever is also high, so mosquito-bite prevention is essential.
The dengue fever vaccine has been introduced in some countries, but it generally cannot be given in Japan, so measures to avoid mosquito bites (wearing long sleeves, using insect repellent spray), etc., are important.
Appointments
Vaccination is available without an appointment.
Because we give priority to those with appointments, please book below if your schedule is already set.
– Maternal and Child Health Handbook (a copy or a photo is also acceptable)
– Documents (if you would like a medical certificate or vaccination certificate issued in a specified format, please bring the documents)
For vaccines and vaccinations for other regions, please see this page.
＜Dr. Satoshi Kutsuna＞
Specialist in infectious disease internal medicine, PhD in medicine.
For about 10 years he was engaged in travel medicine and imported infectious disease care at the National Center for Global Health and Medicine Hospital (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo), home to Japan's largest travel clinic, and he continues to be involved in activities including clinical practice and research today.
His other areas of specialty are emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and COVID infection, and he works to raise awareness of infectious diseases through a variety of outlets including the media and the internet.
He also sees patients at our clinic as a part-time physician and supervises our Travel Medicine.
