Are you traveling out of the country?
Have you scheduled a visit to your doctor or a travel medicine provider?
Ideally, set one up 4 to 6 weeks before your trip.
Most vaccines take time to become effective in your body and some vaccines must be given in a series over a period of days or sometimes weeks.
If it is less than 4 weeks before you leave, you should still see your doctor. You might still benefit from shots or medications and other information about how to protect yourself from illness and injury while traveling.
Most vaccines take time to become effective in your body and some vaccines must be given in a series over a period of days or sometimes weeks.
If it is less than 4 weeks before you leave, you should still see your doctor. You might still benefit from shots or medications and other information about how to protect yourself from illness and injury while traveling.
Are you traveling with infants or children?
While many travel health issues for adults also apply to infants and children, they also have special needs that are to be considered when they travel. Read the Vaccine Recommendations for Infants and Children section in Health Information for International Travel by the CDC.
Recommended Vaccines
These vaccines are recommended to protect travelers from illnesses present in other parts of the world and to prevent the importation of infectious diseases across international borders. Which vaccinations you need depends on a number of factors including your destination, whether you will be spending time in rural areas, the season of the year you are traveling, your age, health status, and previous immunizations. Go to the CDC's destinations page and look up the country or countries you will visit.
Required Vaccines
The only vaccine required by International Health Regulations is yellow fever vaccination for travel to certain countries in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America. Meningococcal vaccination is required by the government of Saudi Arabia for annual travel during the Hajj.
Yellow Fever Vaccine Information
Meningococcal Vaccine Information
Yellow Fever Vaccine Information
Meningococcal Vaccine Information
If you have not looked up health information that applies to your specific travel destinations, do so now by visiting your doctor and visiting the CDC.gov website.There may be other health information you should know to help prepare you for your trip, such as food and water safety, avoiding insects, and more.