Yellow fever occurs in certain jungle locations in South America and Africa. If you plan on spending time in the rainforest or coastal lowlands, you should get immunized. Like malaria, yellow fever is a disease transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. Likewise, you should follow the same precautions as with malaria. Vaccination is usually recommended if you’ll be traveling in areas where there is a high risk of yellow fever transmission. This does not include the cities of Quito and Guayaquil or the Galápagos Islands.

The vaccine is required for travelers greater than one year of age arriving from a yellow-fever-infected country in Africa or the Americas. Yellow fever vaccine must be administered at an approved yellow fever vaccination center, which will give each person a fully validated International Certificate of Vaccination good for 10 years. Nationals and residents of Ecuador are required to possess certificates of vaccination on their departure to an infected area.