Travelling to Costa Rica – do we need shots?
You will not be denied entry to Costa Rica for not having inoculations, nor will you have any trouble returning to the US. The Caribbean coastal areas of CR are in the malaria zone, so your should probably get some chloroquine if you think you’re going to go to that coast. It is a prophylaxis, not a vaccine. You and your family should get the TwinRX Hep A&B series. It’s relatively painless as inoculations go, and it gives you very close to 100% lifetime immunity to two very dangerous diseases that are much easier to prevent than to cure (and both of which do occur in the US with more frequency than we’d like to admit). If given by your family doctor, your insurance might even cover them (especially in the case of your kids).
