Health, vaccinations and medical care in Paraguay

Getting treated

• Call 141 and ask for an ambulance.
• There are some good private medical facilities, but only in the major cities. Elsewhere facilities may not meet UK standards.
• Hospitals and doctors expect immediate payment. This is the practical reason to have accessible funds as well as insurance, and to call the insurer the moment you are referred.
• Some types of medicine may simply not be available, so bring enough of any regular prescription for the whole trip.

The named risks

• Dengue and chikungunya, both mosquito-borne, neither preventable by a tablet. Repellent, covered arms and legs, and accommodation with screens or air conditioning.
• Poor air quality, which the FCDO lists alongside the two viruses. During hot dry periods wildfire smoke makes it worse.

Before you travel

• Check vaccination recommendations at least 8 weeks ahead.
• A yellow fever certificate is an entry requirement only if you are arriving from a transmission-risk country, so this can be an entry issue as well as a health one depending on your route.