Vaccination and Health Risks

Your doctor can give you important advice and prescribe vaccines and medications to help you stay safe while traveling abroad. The following are vaccinations and medications you and your physician may wish to consider before travel to South Africa.

To have the most benefit, see a doctor at least 4-6 weeks before your trip to allow time for your vaccines to take effect. If you are leaving sooner, it is still important to see a doctor as soon as possible for vaccines, medications and information about how to protect yourself from illness and injury while traveling.
Your doctor will make specific recommendations, depending on your health and immunization history, areas of the country you will be visiting, planned activities and other factors. If your travel plans will take you to more than one country during a single trip, be sure to let your health-care provider know. Long-term travelers, such as those who plan to work or study abroad, may also need additional vaccinations as required by their employer or school.
If you have a chronic medical condition, share your travel plans with any doctors who are currently treating you.

Vaccine or Disease	Risk	Vaccination or Treatment Recommendations
Routine		Recommended if you are not up-to-date with routine shots such as, measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT) vaccine, poliovirus vaccine, etc.
Hepatitis A		Recommended
Hepatitis B		Recommended, especially if you might have sex with a new partner, get a tattoo or piercing, or have any medical procedures.
Japanese Encephalitis		Not endemic
Malaria		Recommended: atovaquone/proguanil, doxycycline, or mefloquine. Drug resistance: Chloroquine. Present along the border with Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Specifically in Vembe and Mopane district municipalities of Limpopo Province; Ehlanzeni district municipality in Mpumalanga Province; and Umknanyakude in Kwazulu-Natal Province. Present in Kruger National Park. Note: Cases of malaria have been reported in parts of three provinces in South Africa where transmission of the disease does not usually occur. As of March 12, 2017, 53 cases have been reported, most of them in the cities of Thabazimbi and Lephalale in Limpopo Province. Two of the cases were reported in Swartruggens, North West Province, and two more cases in the Doornpoort neighborhood north of Pretoria in Gauteng Province.
Meningococcal Meningitis		Not endemic
Rabies		Recommended for travelers involved in outdoor and other activities (such as camping, hiking, biking, adventure travel, and caving) that put them at risk for animal bites, people who will be working with or around animals (such as veterinarians, wildlife professionals, and researchers), people who are taking long trips or moving to South Africa and children, because they tend to play with animals, might not report bites, and are more likely to have animal bites on their head and neck.
Typhoid		Recommended, especially if you are staying with friends or relatives, visiting smaller cities or rural areas, or if you are an adventurous eater.
Yellow Fever		Required for travelers at least 1 year of age arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission, including transit at least 12 hours in an airport located in a country with risk of yellow fever transmission.

Resource Links

This document is not a complete medical guide for travelers to this region. Conditions change over time and the recommendations for various countries at the time you travel may differ from the recommendations listed here. Consult with your doctor or visit the CDC website for specific information related to your needs and your medical history; recommendations may differ for pregnant women, young children, and persons who have chronic medical conditions.

Be sure to read the information about all the regions you are planning to visit.