Staying healthy in Paraguay starts with a doctor’s appointment and a clear picture of your route. Our Paraguay trips begin in Asunción, drive west into the Chaco to the Mennonite colonies around Filadelfia, visit the Jesuit missions of Trinidad and Jesús, and reach Iguazú Falls on the Brazilian side. Below is what the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other official bodies say. Our travel consultants are not medical professionals and cannot give medical advice. The CDC’s advice is to visit your doctor at least a month before your trip.
The CDC asks every traveler to be up to date on routine vaccines, including MMR, and as of November 2026 its Paraguay page carries its global measles notice (Level 1). It recommends hepatitis A for unvaccinated travelers one year and older and hepatitis B for unvaccinated travelers under 60, and suggests considering typhoid vaccine for rural areas or stays of a month or more. It notes that dogs with rabies are common in Paraguay and leaves rabies vaccine to your healthcare provider.
The CDC recommends yellow fever vaccine for all travelers 9 months and older going to Paraguay, and generally not for travel limited to the city of Asunción. Each of our Paraguay itineraries leaves the capital.
| Where you are going | Yellow fever vaccine, per the CDC |
|---|---|
| Asunción only | Generally not recommended |
| The Chaco, the Jesuit missions, Itaipu and the rest of Paraguay | Recommended, 9 months and older |
| Iguaçu Falls, Brazil | Recommended, 9 months and older |
| Misiones province, Argentina, including Iguazú Falls | Recommended, 9 months and older |
According to the CDC, Paraguay does not require the vaccine for travelers arriving directly from the United States, but it does require proof of vaccination from travelers 1 year and older arriving from Bolivia, Brazil, Peru or Venezuela, including airport layovers of more than 24 hours there. WHO’s yellow fever country list shows the same certificate rule. Rules can change, so confirm with your airline before you fly. Other entry rules are on our visa page.
Our trips cross the Friendship Bridge from Ciudad del Este to Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil. On Paraguay and Iguazu Falls you sleep in Foz and cross back. If you arrive in Paraguay from Brazil, the CDC’s entry rule applies, so ask your doctor about the certificate before you go.
WHO certified Paraguay malaria-free in June 2018, the first country in the Americas since Cuba in 1973. The CDC’s vaccines-and-medicines list for Paraguay has no malaria prevention medicine, though a line on the same page says malaria is a risk in some parts of the country, so ask your doctor with your full route.
The CDC lists dengue, Zika and chikungunya for Paraguay, and its advice for all three is to avoid mosquito bites; it notes that Zika can pass from a pregnant woman to her baby. According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Paraguay had three of the four dengue virus types circulating at once in 2026, and in October 2026 PAHO warned of the approaching peak season for dengue and chikungunya in South America. A CDC report counted more than 81,000 chikungunya cases in Paraguay between October 2022 and March 2023, mostly in and around Asunción.
The CDC suggests repellent with 20% or more DEET; for mosquitoes alone it also lists picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or PMD, IR3535 and 2-undecanone. It adds long-sleeved shirts and long pants, permethrin-treated clothing (never on skin), and screened or air-conditioned rooms.
On Asunción, Chaco and Iguazú Falls you stay at an estancia with horse riding and natural rivers. The CDC lists New World screwworm, a fly whose eggs infest wounds, and advises cleaning and covering all wounds and avoiding time around livestock, so mention the estancia days to your doctor. For Chagas disease and leishmaniasis, also listed, its advice is to avoid bug bites.
The US CDC’s general advice for travelers is to choose factory-sealed drinks wherever tap water might be contaminated, and to skip ice where clean water is a concern. Our Paraguay food and drink page covers tereré and what to try.
The CDC also advises against swimming in fresh water where sanitation is poor, and its leptospirosis advice is to avoid contaminated water and floodwater.
By the World Meteorological Organization’s 1991–2020 climate normals, January highs average 93°F (34°C) in Asunción and 97°F (36°C) in the Chaco. The CDC recommends sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher, protective clothing and shade from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with extra care in summer. Filadelfia is most of a day’s drive from Asunción, in a private air-conditioned car. Our Paraguay travel insurance page explains medical and evacuation cover.
According to the CDC, none is required if you fly in directly from the United States, but arrivals 1 year and older from Bolivia, Brazil, Peru or Venezuela need a yellow fever certificate. It recommends routine vaccines, hepatitis A and B for the unvaccinated, and yellow fever beyond Asunción.
WHO certified Paraguay malaria-free in 2018, and the CDC’s medicines list for Paraguay does not include malaria prevention; ask your doctor with your full route.
❗ A note from our team: we plan trips, we are not doctors. This page sums up what official health bodies such as the US CDC say about travel here. It is not medical advice, and official advice changes, so please check with your doctor or a travel clinic, ideally at least a month before you go.
