Health & Immunisations

Malaria
Anti-malaria tablets are strongly recommended for many of the regions we travel to. You'll find a Malaria Rating given in quite a few pages of this site. This is a personal assessment and is intended to help you make informed choices, not to replace medical advice.

Reduce the chance of being bitten with insect sprays and long sleeved clothing and pants. In the dry season from May to September, there is less mosquito activity. Happily, this is also the best time for game-viewing. Babies and very young children should avoid malaria areas.

Immunisations generally recommended
The guide below is in no way a replacement for up-to-date recommendations. You must discuss your own particular needs and contra-indications to vaccines or tablets with a medical practitioner, at least 4 weeks before travel, for up-to-date, individual advice. In the UK, MASTA www.masta.org offers a cheap personal Health Brief for specific destinations either online, by telephone or at their clinics. The source for the guide below, www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk gives general information which is useful in advance of visiting your surgery.

Botswana

• Courses or boosters usually advised: tetanus; poliomyelitis; hepatitis A; typhoid.
• Vaccines sometimes advised: tuberculosis; hepatitis B; rabies; diphtheria; cholera.
• Yellow fever certificate is required if over 1 year old and having passed through or entering from an area with risk of yellow fever transmission.
• Anti-Malaria Precautions Essential

Kenya

• Courses or boosters usually advised: diphtheria; tetanus; poliomyelitis; typhoid; hepatitis A; yellow fever.
• Vaccines sometimes advised: meningococcal meningitis; hepatitis B; rabies; tuberculosis; cholera.
• A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over 1 year of age coming from areas with risk of yellow fever transmission.
• Anti-Malaria Precautions Essential

Madagascar

• Courses or boosters usually advised: diphtheria; tetanus; poliomyelitis; hepatitis A; typhoid.
• Vaccines sometimes advised: tuberculosis; rabies; hepatitis B; cholera.
• Yellow fever vaccination certificate required from travellers coming from areas with risk of yellow fever transmission.
• Anti-Malaria Precautions Essential

Malawi

• Courses or boosters usually advised: hepatitis A; typhoid; diphtheria; tetanus; poliomyelitis.
• Vaccines sometimes advised: tuberculosis; hepatitis B; rabies; meningococcal meningitis; cholera.
• Yellow fever vaccination certificate required from travellers coming from areas with risk of yellow fever transmission.
• Anti-Malaria Precautions Essential

Mozambique

• Courses or boosters usually advised: hepatitis A; typhoid; diphtheria; tetanus; poliomyelitis.
• Vaccines sometimes advised: hepatitis B; rabies; tuberculosis; meningococcal meningitis; cholera.
• A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over 1 year of age coming from areas with risk of yellow fever transmission.
• Anti-Malaria Precautions Essential

Namibia

• Courses or boosters usually advised: hepatitis A; typhoid, poliomyelitis; tetanus.
• Vaccines sometimes advised: diphtheria; hepatitis B; rabies; tuberculosis; meningococcal meningitis.
• Yellow fever certificate required if over 1 year and entering from an area with risk of yellow fever transmission. Travellers on scheduled flights originating outwith, but in transit through, the area with risk of yellow fever transmissions are NOT required to possess a certificate provided such travellers remained at the airport, or adjacent town, in transit. All travellers on unscheduled flights originating within area with risk of yellow fever transmissions or who have been in transit through these areas are required to possess a certificate. The certificate is not insisted upon in the case of children under 1 year of age, but such infants may be subject to surveillance.
• Anti-Malaria Precautions Essential in the north of Namibia

Rwanda

• Courses or boosters usually advised: hepatitis A; typhoid; diphtheria; tetanus; poliomyelitis; yellow fever.
• Vaccines sometimes advised: tuberculosis; hepatitis B; meningococcal meningitis; rabies; cholera.
• Yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for all travellers over 1 year of age.
• Anti-Malaria Precautions Essential

Seychelles

• Courses or boosters usually advised: tetanus; poliomyelitis; hepatitis A.
• Vaccines sometimes advised: diphtheria; hepatitis B; rabies. typhoid.
• Yellow fever certificate required from those over 1 year of age if entering from or been in transit through an area with risk of yellow fever transmission within the preceding 6 days.

South Africa

• Courses or boosters usually advised: diphtheria; tetanus; poliomyelitis; hepatitis A.
• Vaccines sometimes advised: tuberculosis; hepatitis B; rabies; cholera; typhoid.
• A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over 1 year of age coming from areas with risk of yellow fever transmission.
• Anti-Malaria Precautions Essential in low-lying areas including Kruger National Park and Maputaland

Tanzania

• Courses or boosters usually advised:diphtheria; tetanus; poliomyelitis; hepatitis A; typhoid; yellow fever.
• Vaccines sometimes advised: tuberculosis; meningococcal meningitis; hepatitis B; rabies; cholera.
• A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over 1 year of age coming from areas with risk of yellow fever transmission.
• Anti-Malaria Precautions Essential

Uganda

• Courses or boosters usually advised: hepatitis A; typhoid; diphtheria; tetanus; poliomyelitis; yellow fever.
• Vaccines sometimes advised: tuberculosis; hepatitis B; meningococcal meningitis; rabies; cholera.
• A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over 1 year of age coming from areas with risk of yellow fever transmission.
• Anti-Malaria Precautions Essential

Zambia

• Courses or boosters usually advised: diphtheria; tetanus; poliomyelits; hepatitis A; typhoid.
• Vaccines sometimes advised: tuberculosis; hepatitis B; rabies; meningococcal meningitis; cholera; yellow fever*.
• Vaccination certificates not normally required.
• Anti-Malaria Precautions Essential

Zimbabwe

• Courses or boosters usually advised: diphtheria; tetanus; poliomyelitis; hepatitis A; typhoid.
• Vaccines sometimes advised: tuberculosis; hepatitis B; rabies; cholera.
• Yellow fever vaccination certificate required from travellers coming from areas with risk of yellow fever transmission.
• Anti-Malaria Precautions Essential