· I'm not a doctor, so I won't comment on whether it's appropriate to travel anywhere in the tropics without having had the jab. Most countries in Latin America are lax about requiring the certificate, but Brazil definitely isn't lax.

You'll be denied entry to Brazil if you haven't got the certificate and are entering from any other Latin American country which has a frontier in the Amazon basin + Paraguay - which is all except Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. Or if you've been in parts of Central Africa in the previous three months.
Chris Parrott
Journey Latin America
journeylatinamerica.co.uk

· Technically you should have the vaccination and a certificate if travelling to, from or via an infected area, ie the Amazon Basin.

You can only contract the disease in mosquito infested areas - jungles/swamps etc, but as airlines don't know exactly where you have been you may be refused on a flight from a potentially infected country which includes anywhere bordering the amazon - Peru/Ecuador/Colombia/Brazil/Venezuela /Bolivia...

If you go into a jungle area you may be asked to show certificate at the arrival airport, eg Puerto Maldonaldo in Peru, but you don't need it for the highlands/Machu Picchu etc.

Some airlines ask to see the certificate if you have come from a possible infected area - we had someone who was refused to board a flight into Rio from Colombia, as he didn't have a certificate, even thought he had not been to the Amazon - only Bogota and Cartagena.

I would suggest if you travel without the vaccination, to check with all the airlines you are booked with if you should have to show a certificate at any check in, and stay above 1500m in the Andes, or on the Pacific coast (it is very dry and few mosquitoes) or south of Santiago/ Buenos Aires.
Carole Hayward

· I have been travelling to, from and within Latin America for the past twenty years from the Amazon to Tierra Del Fuego and no one has ever asked me for any vaccination certificates. In theory Yellow Fever jabs are only required if you are originating from a country where it is prevalent e.g. Brazil into Peru, but in practice no one cares. She should not worry.
Regards
David Horwell, Galapagos Adventure Tours
galapagos.co.uk

· It would be a bit of a shame to leave it out. There is a risk but I have travelled there several times and never been ill. Make sure that you are careful in the evenings and wear repellent and long sleeved shirts and trousers. Also if you have been travelling in Bolivia and then want to fly to Brazil they ask you to produce a yellow fever certificate before you are able to enter the country.

However if you are still keen to travel in between the two I have heard that you can buy certificates in Bolivia.
Regards
Sue Lyall, Exsus Travel
www.exsus.com

· There is absolutely no reason why Kate should not visit South America, the vast majority of which, especially in the middle and south, is Yellow Fever free. In the case of Brazil, for example, it has to be taken into account that the country is larger than Europe so while there are pockets of Yellow Fever in the Amazon Rain Forest, if Kate is visiting is somewhere like Rio de Janeiro she will be as far away as London is to Istanbul.

Normally, the only reason why Brazil will ask for a yellow fever certificate is if the traveller has been in an area of yellow fever in the three months prior to visiting Brazil. As of today the rules for Brazil would be that an international certificate of vaccination against yellow fever is compulsory for travellers who, within three months prior to their arrival in Brazil, have visited or been in transit through the following countries: Angola, Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, French Guyana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Peru, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Venezuela and Zaire.

Additionally, vaccination against yellow fever is recommended for all travellers when visiting the following states of Brazil: Acre, Amazonas, Amapá, Distrito Federal, Goiás, Maranhno, Mato Grosso do Sul, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima and Tocantins. Hope this helps.
Christopher Pickard, Director of Tourism, Brazilian Tourist Office

· Yellow fever inoculations are not compulsory for individual countries but ARE mandatory if you travel from one endemic country to another. So, for example, if you travel on holiday to Brazil you do not need a jab but if you travel to Bolivia and then on to Brazil you will ( If you don't have a vaccination certificate and you will not be allowed to enter the country). Argentina does not have yellow fever so you can travel from Argentina to Brazil or vice versa without the jab. If you fly into the jungle in Peru we have had reports that if you do not have the certificate they will provide it for you (mandatory) at Cuzco airport before flying to the jungle but this does not seem to be rigidly applied.

From this you will see that planning the order of your trip will affect your ability to enter a country. est check with a health / travel professionals as well as the consulates of the countries concerned...and don't forget that requirements may change overnight!
Andre at South American Experience - Specialist travel agency
southamericanexperience.co.uk

· Being a South American who has travelled her continent extensively, I can guarantee that even if you did not avoid the rainforest area (with the exception perhaps of Brazil's Amazon jungle), you are in no risk whatsoever of suffering from yellow fever. By all means, do not cancel your trip to this wonderful part of the world.

I have been in the rainforest of Ecuador twice and have travelled through Colombia and Venezuela, Mexico, Uruguay and Argentina (where I am from) without even thinking of a yellow fever vaccination. I think you will be perfectly alright without one. Trust the embassies. Trust a South American traveller.
Carolina Orloff

· Despite what the doctors might tell you there are effective alternatives to the 'jabs'. Homeopathic remedies are proven to be effective in this area, with none of the side effects of the jabs. I have travelled to Belize and Honduras (into the jungle in Belize) and have taken homeopathic malaria, hepitis and cholera 'vaccinations'. This usually involves sucking a small tablet once or twice a day. There are also homeopathic travellers kits available with remedies for common traveller complaints such as upset stomach, travel sickness, sunstroke etc. A yellow fever vaccination is available as well.

The best is Ainsworth's Homeopathic Pharmacy, 36 New Cavendish Street, London, W1G 8UF. 0207 935 5330. They do an excellent mail-order service and I seem to remember they are by Appointment to the Queen!
Liz Croft

· Not only am I allergic to eggs (severe rash and nausea), but also to a variety of other things like lactose and certain creams and lotions.

As an avid traveller, I also had to consider alternatives to the jab when I went to South America last year. Experts will disagree but I threw caution to the wind and took anti mosquito preparations as yellow fever is transmitted mainly by biting bugs. The best stuff ever is a lotion (which is pretty hard to find!) called Alfresco Anti Bug Moisturiser. I'm not allergic to it, it smells great and I got only one bite during a 2 weeks stay.

I saw it mentioned the Guardian last year and I now use it all the time, whether on holiday or not. Try it!
Maria Wiseman-Morris