Panama
Travel Destination – Panama
Panama sits at the crossroads of Central and South America, offering a remarkable mix of natural beauty, modern infrastructure, and cultural diversity. With coastlines on both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, Panama appeals to travellers seeking adventure, relaxation, and culture. Careful travel health and safety preparation before departure can help ensure a safe, smooth, and rewarding experience.
Health Risks
Pre-travel preparation
Before travelling to Panama, a pre-travel consultation with a travel doctor is strongly recommended. This appointment allows for personalised health advice based on your itinerary, planned activities, and medical history. Your doctor can review your vaccination record, recommend any additional immunisations, and provide prescriptions for necessary medications.
Ideally, appointments should be scheduled six to eight weeks before departure, as some vaccines require multiple doses over time. However, even if travel is imminent, a last-minute consultation can still be beneficial, as accelerated vaccination schedules and essential travel health advice are often available.
Insect avoidance
In Panama, insects play a significant role in the transmission of several infectious diseases, particularly in tropical, forested, coastal, and low-lying environments. Mosquito-borne illnesses such as Dengue, Zika virus, Chikungunya, and Malaria occur in parts of the country, with risk varying by region and season. Additional insect-related conditions include Leishmaniasis, transmitted by sandflies, as well as New World screwworm myiasis and Chagas disease transmitted by flies and triatomine bugs respectively.
Because different insects bite at different times of day, travellers may be exposed both during daylight hours and overnight, making consistent bite prevention essential throughout the trip.
Reducing insect exposure begins with appropriate accommodation choices, including air-conditioned rooms or those fitted with intact window and door screens. Where these measures are not available, the use of bed nets can provide effective overnight protection. When outdoors, wearing long sleeves, long pants, and enclosed footwear helps limit skin exposure, particularly during early morning and evening periods. Insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus should be applied to exposed skin, and treating clothing or equipment with permethrin can offer additional protection.
Food and water hygiene
Panamanian cuisine reflects its cultural diversity often featuring seafood, rice, plantains, and fresh produce. Gastroenteritis is is most often caused by consuming contaminated food or water. Careful attention to hygiene can significantly reduce the risk of travellers’ diarrhoea and other gastrointestinal infections.
Hands should be washed thoroughly with soap and water, or cleaned with an alcohol-based hand sanitiser, before eating. Travellers are advised to avoid raw or undercooked foods, particularly meat and seafood, and to choose meals that are freshly cooked and served hot. Fruit and vegetables are safest when they can be peeled prior to consumption, such as bananas, oranges, and mangoes. Drinking water should be bottled, boiled, or properly filtered, and ice should be avoided unless it is known to be made from treated water.
Rabies prevention
Rabies is a virus present in infected animals in Panama, particularly dogs and bats. It can be transmitted to humans through bites or scratches from infected animals. To reduce the risk of contracting rabies, travellers should avoid contact with animals at all times, including feeding or handling them.
Pre-exposure rabies vaccination may be recommended for travellers spending extended periods in Panama, visiting remote areas, or working with animals. Any animal bite or scratch requires immediate medical assessment, as timely treatment is highly effective, and rabies is almost universally fatal once symptoms develop.
Our Travel Doctors
Our fully qualified doctors have an interest in travel medicine and immunisations. And they know travel. Their expert advice will be tailored for you, your travel companions and your trip.
Which shots do I need for Panama?
Yellow fever
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Yellow fever is a mosquito-borne viral illness that can cause fever, headache, muscle pain, and, in severe cases, yellowing of the skin and organ failure.
Yellow fever vaccination may be recommended or required for travellers visiting certain regions of Panama or entering from countries where yellow fever is present. Entry requirements can change, and your travel doctor can advise based on your itinerary and transit plans.
Hepatitis A
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The Hepatitis A virus spreads through contaminated food and water and infects the liver. It is more common in Panama than in Australia, and many people have not been vaccinated. Vaccination is strongly recommended for travellers who have not previously completed a two-dose course, particularly those staying outside major cities or eating local food regularly.
Typhoid
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Typhoid fever is caused by Salmonella Typhi or Paratyphi bacteria and is spread through the ingestion of contaminated food and water. Symptoms include prolonged fever, headache, abdominal pain, and gastrointestinal upset. A typhoid vaccine may be recommended for travellers visiting rural areas or staying for extended periods. The vaccination provides protection for up to three years. Even after immunisation, food and water hygiene remain essential preventative practices.
Hepatitis B
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The hepatitis B virus infects the liver and can cause long term damage. Hepatitis B is transmitted through contact with infected blood or bodily fluids, including unprotected sex, unsterile medical procedures, tattooing, or sharing personal items such as razors. Vaccination is recommended for travellers planning prolonged stays or who have specific risk factors. A travel doctor can assess your individual risk and vaccination history.
Routine vaccinations
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Australia’s comprehensive immunisation program has resulted in low rates of many vaccine-preventable diseases. However, infections such as measles, tetanus, influenza, and COVID-19 continue to circulate more widely in many other countries, including Panama. Ensuring routine vaccinations are up to date before travel helps reduce the risk of illness, and a travel health consultation can identify any gaps or booster doses that may be needed.
Panama
Other health risks in Panama
Malaria
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Malaria occurs in most of Panama. Certain rural and lowland regions of Panama, particularly near border areas and forested zones are highest risk. It is caused by parasites transmitted through mosquito bites and can lead to fever, chills, headache, fatigue, and muscle aches. Without prompt treatment, malaria can become life-threatening. Prevention includes mosquito avoidance measures, and depending on your itinerary, your doctor may recommend antimalarial tablets.
Dengue
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Dengue fever is a viral infection spread by day-biting mosquitoes and is common in urban and semi-urban areas of Panama. Symptoms include sudden fever, headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, and rash. Most people recover fully, but severe illness can occur which is more likely with repeated infections. There is no routine dengue vaccine recommended for most travellers, so mosquito bite prevention remains essential.
Rabies
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Rabies is a virus present in infected animals in Panama, particularly dogs and bats. It can be transmitted to humans through bites or scratches from infected animals. To reduce the risk of contracting rabies, travellers should avoid contact with animals at all times, including feeding or handling them.
Pre-exposure rabies vaccination may be recommended for travellers spending extended periods in Panama, visiting remote areas, or working with animals. Any animal bite or scratch requires urgent medical assessment, as timely treatment is highly effective, while rabies is almost universally fatal once symptoms develop.
Gastroenteritis
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Gastroenteritis, often referred to as travellers’ diarrhoea, is a common condition in Panama and is most often caused by ingestion of bacteria from contaminated food or untreated water. Symptoms usually develop within 24 to 72 hours, including watery diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and occasionally fever.
Treatment centres on adequate fluid replacement to prevent dehydration, with oral rehydration solutions preferred as they effectively replace both fluids and electrolytes.
In most cases, the illness is self-limiting and resolves within one to three days. Medical evaluation is recommended if symptoms are severe, persistent, or unusual, or if oral fluid intake is insufficient to keep up with ongoing losses. Antibiotics are reserved for severe, prolonged, or illness in those at risk of complications.
Prevention focuses on careful food and water hygiene, including frequent hand washing, consumption of bottled or treated water, avoidance of ice of uncertain origin, and caution with high-risk foods such as undercooked meats, unpasteurised dairy products, and street food.
Non-infectious conditions
Crime and unrest
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Travellers should exercise increased caution in Panama due to the risk of petty and violent crime. Theft, robbery and muggings can occur, particularly in busy areas and after dark. Stay alert, keep valuables secure, and use reputable transport options.
For the latest official safety advice and updates regarding Panama, travellers should consult the Australian Government’s Smartraveller website before and during their trip.
Altitude sickness
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Travellers to Panama’s highlands, such as Boquete or Volcán Barú, may experience acute mountain sickness (AMS) if they are not accustomed to elevations above 2,450 metres. Around 25% of non-acclimatised visitors develop symptoms, which can include headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, or loss of appetite. AMS typically improves within 12 to 48 hours if further ascent is avoided.
More severe forms of altitude illness can affect the brain or lungs. High altitude cerebral oedema (HACE) may cause confusion, disorientation, or unusual behaviour, while high altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPE) can trigger shortness of breath, coughing, and breathing difficulties. Both conditions are more common above 4,300 metres and can become life-threatening if not treated promptly with descent and medical care.
Prevention relies on ascending gradually to allow your body to acclimatise. Some travellers may be advised by their doctor to take prescription medications to prevent or manage altitude-related illness, particularly when hiking above 4,300 metres. Those unfamiliar with AMS, HACE, or HAPE should consider travelling with an experienced guide who knows how to recognise and respond to these conditions.
The CDC recommends:
1. Learn the early signs of altitude sickness and be prepared to acknowledge they are present.
2. Do not sleep at higher elevations if experiencing any symptoms.
3. Descend immediately if symptoms worsen, even while at rest.
Deep vein thrombosis
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Travellers to Panama on long flights or bus journeys may be at risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a serious condition caused by blood clots in the legs.
To prevent DVT, move and stretch your legs regularly, stay well hydrated, and consider compression stockings if you have higher risk. Consult a doctor before travelling if you have a clotting disorder or other risk factors, as preventive medication may be advised.
Whilst travelling, seek urgent medical care if you notice leg swelling, pain, redness, or warmth, or chest pain and shortness of breath, which could signal a DVT complication.
Safety on the roads and elsewhere
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Panama offers incredible adventures, from hiking Volcán Barú and exploring Boquete’s cloud forests to enjoying Bocas del Toro’s beaches and water sports, but safety is essential. If riding a motorbike in Panama City, Boquete, or David, ensure you are confident, know local traffic rules, and always wear a helmet. For road travel, use licensed buses, taxis, or rental cars with working seatbelts.
When hiking in Panama’s highlands or national parks, wear sturdy boots, apply sunscreen and insect repellent, pack light essentials, and stay within your limits. Check trail and weather conditions before venturing outdoors.
It’s also important to have travel insurance covering medical care and evacuation. Proper preparation helps ensure your Panama trip is safe, enjoyable, and worry-free.