Before you travel to any new country, you should review what vaccines or medications are suggested. Some countries may require specific vaccines before they will allow entry, such as yellow fever. Your doctor or local travel clinic can help you understand what travel vaccines and medications you may need.
Vaccines
Check out the recommended vaccines from your local health agency or the World Health Organization. For U.S. travelers, I recommend visiting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) travel page.
You should research this as early as possible – some vaccines require multiple shots with minimum intervals between doses. Some intervals are up to 6 months; however, you may still be able to travel with the initial dose and then finish the series upon your return.
Most vaccinations are delivered via shots or pills.
All travelers should have routine vaccinations before international travel. These include measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (TDAP), flu, and polio.
Be sure to learn how long your vaccines are effective. Several vaccines last decades or even a lifetime but some must be updated every few years. The typhoid fever vaccine comes in 2 forms: oral pills and an injection. Typhoid pills provide 5 years of protection while the injection is effective for up to 2 years.
As I mentioned before, a yellow fever vaccine may be required if you travel through a country with a risk of yellow fever – even if it is just a layover in the airport. Make sure to double-check the requirements while planning your trip.
Your planned activities also play a role in deciding which vaccines you will need. Rabies might be needed for travelers who hike, camp, work with animals, or if you plan to move to the destination country.
Medications
Along with vaccines, you may need special medication for your trip. If you are going to an area where malaria is a risk, you may want antimalarial medication in addition to bug spray. Your doctor or travel clinic may also provide you with anti-diarrhea medicines or antibiotics. If you are planning to climb high peaks or visiting locations more than 8,000 feet above sea level, you may want altitude sickness medication.
Also be sure that all your medication is legal in the country you are travelling to as some countries ban certain drugs that are considered safe and legal in others.
For my trips to southern Africa, in addition to the routine vaccinations, I received typhoid and hepatitis A and B vaccines. I also took antimalarials when I was in malaria areas.
Having the recommended vaccines and medications always makes me feel more secure when I travel abroad. I can enjoy my time more with one less worry in the back of my mind.
Note: All content and media available through this site is for general information purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your personal physician for specific medical questions and treatments.
Good point about the timeframe for vaccinations! Sometimes we think it’s just one shot and we’re good to go – so it’s good to do some research to see if a secondary shot is needed. Fortunately when we went to SA it was going into their winter and we didn’t see 1 mosquito – we were lucky!
It’s hard with vaccines for people who like to pick up and travel 🙂 Thankfully a lot of my vaccines are good for decades. The only time I got a mosquito bite in Southern Africa was in Zimbabwe near Victoria Falls so I’ve been lucky.
I wasn’t going to open this blog but you’ve been so helpful along the way. As usual there is always something more to learn. Thank you. I can’t wait to travel again.
Thanks Liz! Glad you’ve found value in the blogs! I’m always working to provide helpful content 🙂