Ecuador does not require you to have any vaccination record before entering the country but for your own good and especially if you will travel to the tropical lowlands of the Amazon or coast, you should consider the following shots. Get also to know what your country recommends for vaccination requirements.

Yellow fever 

one shot lasts for 10 years, important if you intend to visit lowland jungle or costal regions of Ecuador.

Hepatitis A + B

get the 3 shots (spaced over 6 months) for both, there is always an outbreak found in some parts of tropical Ecuador.

Typhoid

to be on the safe side, have a vaccination for typhoid.

Tetanus, Polio and Diphtheria

make sure you have booster shots every 10 years.

Once in the country you should be careful of the water you drink and the food you eat. Unfortunately, a great number of visitors get afflicted with some kind of Diarrhea or even sometimes Dysentery. So be sure to have pills and tablets in cases it happens to you. Also every once in a while you hear about small outbreaks of Cholera, so be aware that this disease is around in the country.

Malaria

is a problem on the coastal plains and in the Amazon, near settlements because of nearby waste and garbage dumps. If you go to one of the jungle lodges or take a trek in the forest, there is much less risk, as they are away from villages.Some towns on the coast should be avoided in the rainy season as always outbreaks are reported. Get information once in the country.

Dengue
Be aware of Dengue outbreaks, especially on the coastal plains around towns in the rainy season from February to June. There are no prophylactic tablets for this nasty disease spread by mosquitoes, which seems to make a comeback in tropical countries around the world.

Important: New outbreak of dengue at the coast with some fatal results (April, 2005)

The best prevention of those mosquito- spread diseases is common sense. The diseases only occur in the tropical lowlands (lower than 1200 m). If you travel to those regions, use (especially in the evening) long-sleeved clothing and insect-repellant in the exposed areas of your body, which should only be your face and hands. At night always sleep underneath a mosquito net ( make sure they are of good quality with no holes in them) or in enclosed rooms.

Other pre-cautions you should take are sun-protection. You are always close to the equator, so the sun is very strong and direct. Use sunscreen and 100% UV sun-glasses for the sun-glare. Be aware of the altitude also. People get affected differently but do not rush to the mountains without proper acclimatization.