Make sure to check Travel Notices in Effect for this area.
Disease Risks in United States and Canada:
In 1994, an international commission certified the eradication of endemic wild poliovirus from the Americas. Ongoing surveillance in formerly endemic Central and South American countries (Tropical and Temperate) confirms that poliovirus transmission remains interrupted.
The incidence of communicable diseases is such that they are unlikely to prove a hazard for international travelers greater than that found in their own country. There are, of course, health risks, but in general, the precautions required are minimal.
Certain diseases occasionally occur, such as plague, rabies in wildlife, including bats, raccoons, foxes, and other wild animals. Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia, arthropod-borne encephalitis, and seasonal outbreaks of influenza. The comprehensive CDC Influenza site answers questions raised about this 2003-2004 influenza season. Coccidioidomycosis is endemic in southwestern United States and can occur in visitors to the area. Histoplasmosis is highly endemic, especially in the Mississippi, Ohio, and the St. Lawrence river valleys.
Rodent-borne hantavirus pulmonary syndrome has been identified, predominantly in the western states of the United States. Lyme disease is endemic in the northeastern United States, Mid-Atlantic, and the upper Midwest and the southwestern provinces of Canada. Occasional cases have been reported from the Pacific Northwest. Recently, cases of West Nile virus have occurred throughout North America. During recent years, the incidence of certain foodborne diseases, e.g., E. coli O157:H7 and salmonellosis, has increased in some regions. Although the risk of hepatitis A infection is considered low in the United States and Canada, outbreaks have occurred in some areas. Other hazards include poisonous snakes (please see Animal-Associated Hazards), poison ivy, and poison oak. In the north, a serious hazard is the very low temperature in the winter.
In the United States, proof of immunization against diphtheria, measles, poliomyelitis, and rubella is now universally required for entry into school. In addition, the school entry requirements of most states include immunization against tetanus (49 states), pertussis (44 states), mumps (46 states), and hepatitis B (26 states). Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine is not required for school entry but is required in 49 states for attendance in day care facilities. Because the incidence of reported hepatitis A is substantially higher in 11 states, mostly in the west, some states now require hepatitis A vaccination for school or day care entry.
Isolated cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE/mad cow disease) have been reported in Canada and the United States. For more information, see Mad Cow Disease and http://www.usda.gov.
See the Diseases page for more information on North American diseases such as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
United States: Health Information Resources
Health Information Resource: Canada
For health information on traveling in Canada, please see Canada's Travel Medicine Program (part of the Public Health Agency of Canada), * which includes updates on current Canadian outbreaks.
Provincial and Territorial Ministries of Health
Health information on specific provinces.
More detailed information on this region is available at www cdc.gov
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