Travelers should also take insect repellent with them to use on any exposed areas of the skin. Travelers should also purchase a flying insect-killing spray to use in living and sleeping areas during the evening and night. If applied according to the directions, permethrin will repel insects from clothing for several weeks. Traveler's diarrhea is the most frequent health problem for travelers. It can be caused by viruses, bacteria, or parasites which are found universally throughout the region.
Transmission is most often through contaminated food or water.
A recent epidemic of cholera has swept through the entire South American area. The majority of cases have been reported from Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico. Cholera has been reported in coastal cities and inland areas of most of these countries. Cholera has also been reported in Cuzco in Peru and in the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador. Other countries to report cases include Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Suriname, and Venezuela.