Here is travel health and immunization advice for travellers, tourists and visitors to Uganda, East Africa. This includes … Yellow fever vaccination, Rabies, avoiding malaria and more.
Travel vaccinations are either compulsory or recommended for travel to Uganda and most East African countries. Ideally, you should start your travel vaccination for Uganda / East Africa at least six weeks before departure, or earlier if possible.
You are advised to see your doctor as early as you can (at least 4–6 weeks before your trip or safari) and ask for advice on Travel Vaccinations for Uganda, Kenya or Rwanda. If you have less than 4 weeks before you leave for your trip to East Africa, you should still see your doctor. It might not be too late to get the necessary travel immunizations or medications as well as other information about how to protect yourself from illness and injury while traveling.
Recommended travel Vaccinations for Uganda:
Hepatitis A: Recommended for all travellers.
Typhoid: Recommended for all travellers.
Yellow fever: Compulsory for all travellers. Required for travellers arriving from a yellow-fever-infected area in Africa or the Americas.
Polio: One-time booster recommended for any adult traveller who completed the childhood series but never had a polio vaccine as an adult.
Meningococcus: Recommended for all travellers to northern Uganda.
Hepatitis B: Recommended for all travellers.
Rabies: For travellers spending a lot of time outdoors, or at high risk from animal bites, or involved in any activities that might bring them into direct contact with bats
MMR (measles, mumps, rubella): Two doses recommended for all travelers.
Tetanus-diphtheria: Re-vaccination recommended every 10 years.
I’ve received some of these vaccines in the past. How do I know if I need a booster? This is how long the vaccines are effective (i.e. if it’s been longer than this since you were immunized, you need a booster):
- Hepatitis A — 10 years (after second dose; relatively new vaccine; recommendations not finalized)
- Typhoid VI (injectable typhoid) — 2 years
- Vivotif (oral typhoid) — 5 years
- Hepatitis B — obtain a blood test to determine if still protected
- Rabies – either revaccinate after 2 years or obtain a blood test to determine if still protected
- Yellow fever — 10 years
- Meningococcal — 3 years
- Japanese encephalitis — 3 years
- Tetanus-diphtheria — 10 years
- Measles — lifetime (after second dose)
- Varicella — lifetime (after second dose)
- Polio — lifetime (after a single adult booster)
- Influenza — 4-6 months
After your trip: If you have visited East Africa, continue taking your antimalarial drug for 4 weeks (mefloquine, doxycycline or malarone) or seven days (atovaquone/proguanil) after leaving the risk area.
Malaria is always a serious disease, which can lead to death. If you become ill with a fever or flu-like illness either while travelling in Uganda or Kenya or after you return home (and up to 1 year after), you should seek immediate medical attention and should tell your health care provider about your travel history.
Useful travel health links
Vaccinations advice from governmental agencies:
- International Travel and Health (WHO)
- Centers for Disease Control – Travelers Health
- Health Canada – Travel Medicine Program
- National Travel Health Network and Centre (U.K.)
- Travax (for physicians; NHS Scotland)
- Fit for Travel (for travellers; NHS Scotland)
- Canada- Foreign Affairs Canada