Facts for the Traveler
Visas: Passports must be
valid for at least six months from date of entry. Visas are required
for tourists of many nationalities, including Australia, Canada and the
USA; visas are generally granted for a period of 90 days, with one
extension of up to 90 days possible.
Health risks: dengue fever (The Aedes aegypti
mosquito, which transmits the dengue virus, is most active during the
day, and is found mainly in urban areas, in and around human dwellings.
Signs and symptoms of dengue fever include a sudden onset of high
fever, headache, joint and muscle pains, nausea and vomiting. A rash of
small red spots sometimes appears three to four days after the onset of
fever. Severe complications do sometimes occur.
You should seek medical attention as soon as possible if you think you
may be infected. A blood test can indicate the possibility of the
fever. There is no specific treatment. Aspirin should be avoided, as it
increases the risk of haemorrhaging. There is no vaccine against dengue
fever), malaria (If you are travelling in endemic areas it is extremely
important to avoid mosquito bites and to take tablets to prevent this
disease. Symptoms range from fever, chills and sweating, headache,
diarrhoea and abdominal pains to a vague feeling of ill-health. Seek
medical help immediately if malaria is suspected. Without treatment
malaria can rapidly become more serious and can be fatal.
If medical care is not available, malaria tablets can be used for
treatment. You should seek medical advice, before you travel, on the
right medication and dosage for you.
If you do contract malaria, be sure to be re-tested for malaria once
you return home as you can harbour malaria parasites in your body even
if you are symptom free.
Travellers are advised to prevent mosquito bites at all times. The main
messages are: wear light-coloured clothing; wear long trousers and
long-sleeved shirts; use mosquito repellents containing the compound
DEET on exposed areas (prolonged overuse of DEET may be harmful,
especially to children, but its use is considered preferable to being
bitten by disease-transmitting mosquitoes); avoid perfumes and
aftershave; use a mosquito net impregnated with mosquito repellent
(permethrin) – it may be worth taking your own, and impregnating
clothes with permethrin effectively deters mosquitoes and other
insects), rabies (This is a fatal viral infection found throughout
South America. Many animals can be infected (such as dogs, cats, bats
and monkeys) and it's their saliva that is infectious. Any bite,
scratch or even lick from a warm-blooded, furry animal should be
cleaned immediately and thoroughly. Scrub with soap and running water,
and then apply alcohol or iodine solution. Medical help should be
sought promptly to receive a course of injections to prevent the onset
of symptoms and death), yellow fever (Yellow fever is transmitted
through the bite of an infected mosquito. There is an effective vaccine
against yellow fever, so if you have been immunised, you can basically
rule this disease out. Symptoms of yellow fever range from a mild fever
which resolves over a few days to more serious forms with fever,
headache, muscle pains, abdominal pain and vomiting. This can progress
to bleeding, shock and liver and kidney failure. The liver failure
causes jaundice, or yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes
– hence the name. There's no specific treatment but you should seek
medical help urgently if you think you have yellow fever),
meningococcal meningitis (Not every headache is likely to be
meningitis. There is an effective vaccine available which is often
recommended for travel to epidemic areas. Generally, you're at pretty
low risk of getting meningococcal meningitis, unless an epidemic is
ongoing, but the disease is important because it can be very serious
and rapidly fatal. You get infected by breathing in droplets coughed or
sneezed into the air by sufferers or, more likely, by healthy carriers
of the bacteria. You're more at risk in crowded, poorly ventilated
places, including public transport and eating places.
The symptoms of meningitis are fever, severe headache, neck stiffness
that prevents you from bending your head forward, nausea, vomiting and
sensitivity to light, which makes you prefer the darkness. With
meningococcal meningitis, you may get a widespread, blotchy purple rash
before any other symptoms appear. Meningococcal meningitis is an
extremely serious disease that can cause death within a few hours of
you first feeling unwell. Seek medical help without delay if you have
any of the symptoms listed earlier, especially if you are in a risk
area.
If you've been in close contact with a sufferer it's best to seek
medical advice)
Time Zone:
GMT/UTC -2 (Fernando de Noronha archipelago), GMT/UTC -3 (in the east,
northeast, south and southeast), GMT/UTC -4 (in the west), GMT/UTC -5
(in the far west)
Dialling Code: 55
Electricity: 110/220V ,60Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
When to Go
Most of Brazil can be visited comfortably throughout the year, it's only the south - which can be unbearably sticky in summer (December-February) and non-stop rainy in winter (June-August) - that has large seasonal changes. The rest of the country experiences brief tropical rains throughout the year, which rarely affect travel plans.
During summer (December-February) many Brazilians are on vacation, making travel difficult and expensive, and from Rio to the south the humidity can be oppressive. Summer is also the most festive time of year, as Brazilians escape their apartments and take to the beaches and streets. School holidays begin in mid-December and go through to Carnaval, usually held in late February.
Events
Although there are festivals taking place all year round in Brazil, the country's most famous event is Carnaval, which lasts for five days from the Friday to the Tuesday immediately preceding Ash Wednesday. It is celebrated all over Brazil and there are more authentic versions than the glitzy tourist drawcard held in Rio; but Rio's is a fantastic spectacle nonetheless. In its sambódromo, a tiered street designed for samba parades, there is a frenzy of sweat, sequins, noise and mayhem as the 16 top samba schools each have their hour of glory.
Source: www.lonelyplanet.com
