Many trips to Uruguay start with the ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento, then take in Montevideo, the beaches around Punta del Este and often a few days at an estancia. Here is what the US CDC says about vaccinations for Uruguay, and what to raise with your doctor if your trip includes beach days or time on a working farm. 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. As of November 2026, its Uruguay page carries the CDC’s global measles notice (Level 1). The CDC also recommends hepatitis A for unvaccinated travelers one year and older and hepatitis B for unvaccinated travelers of all ages, and suggests considering typhoid vaccine for areas with poor sanitation or stays of a month or more.
On rabies, the CDC says it is present in some wildlife and that vaccines after a bite may only be available at larger medical facilities in and around the cities. Whether to have the vaccine before you go is a question for your healthcare provider.
According to the CDC, Uruguay does not require yellow fever vaccination for entry, and the CDC does not recommend it for travel in Uruguay. Malaria prevention medicine is not on its list for Uruguay. On a longer route, each country has its own advice: the CDC does recommend yellow fever vaccine for Argentina’s Misiones province, where Iguazú Falls is. See Staying Healthy in Argentina, Staying Healthy in Brazil, and our Uruguay visa page for entry rules.
The CDC places Uruguay in its “sporadic or uncertain” dengue category, meaning at least one locally acquired case in the last 10 years, and asks all travelers to prevent mosquito bites. Its Uruguay page also lists Chagas disease, spread by triatomine bugs.
The CDC suggests repellent with 20% or more DEET for ticks and mosquitoes; for mosquitoes alone it also lists picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, IR3535 and 2-undecanone. It adds permethrin-treated clothing (never on skin) and a full-body tick check after time outdoors.
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 Uruguay food and drink page covers the asado, the mate and the Tannat.
The CDC’s Uruguay page also lists leptospirosis, caught from fresh water or mud contaminated with animal urine. Its advice is to avoid contaminated water and soil, and floodwater.
Some of our itineraries spend time on working farms. The horseback riding tour follows the Atlantic coast from the Brazilian border to Cabo Polonio and helps the gauchos with cattle and sheep, and San Pedro de Timote is a gaucho estancia in Florida department. For days like these, the CDC lists New World screwworm, which comes from a fly’s eggs; its advice is to clean and cover all wounds, sleep behind screens or under a bed net, and avoid spending time around livestock. It also lists hantavirus, caught mostly from the urine, droppings or saliva of infected rodents, and says to avoid rodents and the places they live. Tell your doctor about the farm days.
Cabo Polonio can only be reached on horseback or by 4×4 truck. Our Uruguay travel insurance page explains medical and evacuation cover.
The CDC recommends sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher, protective clothing and shade from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with extra care in summer. For heat, it advises eating and drinking regularly, loose lightweight clothing and less physical activity when temperatures are high. The Uruguay weather page shows when the coast is hottest.
According to the CDC, Uruguay does not require yellow fever vaccine for entry. The CDC recommends routine vaccines including MMR, and hepatitis A and B for unvaccinated travelers.
The CDC’s Uruguay page does not list malaria or malaria prevention medicine. Check the CDC’s Uruguay page close to departure, and take your full route to your doctor.
❗ 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.
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