The fastest shortcut to learn about vaccine requirements and suggestions is to check out the Center for Disease Control’s travel resources. There, you can find a list of suggested vaccinations and treatments based on your destination.
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That being said, it’s a pretty long and mind-numbing process to look through specific requirements.
While you do need to dig in country by country if you want to depart from home safely and in full health, I’d like to demystify the basics and give you a rundown of what types of vaccines you’ll see mentioned and why they’re important—along with other important medical suggestions, like malaria pills.
Ultimately, the decision is yours about what to take when you head abroad. (Aside from requirements, of course.)
Here’s your crash course on vaccine requirements and medication suggestions based on which continent you’ll travel to.
Full disclosure: I’m not a doctor
In the off chance anyone thinks I got my medical degree, I’d like to reiterate: I’m a very well-traveled writer with no medical qualifications aside from a basic understanding of pet first aid.
I highly suggest diving into the CDC’s list of suggestions for vaccines and medications. On top of that, I also recommend you read about taking medications and getting vaccines from experienced travelers.
Why do you need both? Because many medical suggestions are general, while travel stories are hyper-specific.
For example, I spent four months in India where it was highly suggested that I take supplements to prevent malaria. But the pills had side effects like causing really intense dreams, so I ultimately stopped taking the pills to get a good night’s rest. I figured because I was living in a city (Bengaluru), I’d be okay.
My decision paid off—I didn’t get malaria.
However, two of my housemates did get dengue fever. Those malaria pills wouldn’t have done anything to protect me against dengue. So, I kept away from the malaria pills and went hard on mosquito prevention.
See what I mean about knowing how these things go in practice?
Below, I’m going to list common vaccination requirements by continent and other illness-related topics by region. I like to use TravelDoctor for these types of inquiries, but it’s far from the only resource out there.
Do your own follow-up research to learn which vaccines are required versus suggested in each country—and don’t forget to consider the practical applications.
The most common vaccination suggestions by continent
North America: Latin America, & the Caribbean
Yellow fever should be top of your priority list; there have been sporadic outbreaks since 2018 in Latin America. Mosquito-borne illnesses are also a common risk, including malaria, dengue, and ZIKA.
- Get a vaccination or booster to prevent these illnesses: Hep A, Hep B, Yellow Fever, and Rabies
- Consider looking into: Typhoid, Cholera, MMR (measles-mumps-rubella), Tetanus-Diptheria-Pertussis, Influenza, Chickenpox, Polio, Malaria
South America
Yellow fever should be top of your priority list; there have also been sporadic outbreaks since 2018 in South America, especially in Brazil. Mosquito-borne illnesses are also a common risk, including malaria, dengue, and ZIKA.
- Get a vaccination or booster to prevent these illnesses: Hep A, Hep B, Yellow Fever, and Rabies
- Consider looking into: Typhoid, Cholera, MMR (measles-mumps-rubella), Tetanus-Diptheria-Pertussis, Influenza, Chickenpox, Polio, Malaria
Europe
Check out Europe’s disease control resources before heading over. Avian flu has been on the rise over the last year.
- Get a vaccination or booster to prevent these illnesses: Hep A, Hep B, Yellow Fever, and Rabies
- Consider looking into: Typhoid, Cholera, MMR (measles-mumps-rubella), Tetanus-Diptheria-Pertussis, Influenza, Chickenpox, Polio, Malaria
Africa
Mosquito-borne illnesses are also a common risk, including malaria, dengue, and ZIKA. Additionally, cholera outbreaks have been reported in East Africa in January 2025.
*A friend of mine recently traveled from Missouri to Kenya to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro; he opted for yellow fever and typhoid vaccines for his 10-day stay and returned healthy.
- Get a vaccination or booster to prevent these illnesses: Hep A, Hep B, Yellow Fever, and Rabies
- Consider looking into: Typhoid, Cholera, MMR (measles-mumps-rubella), Tetanus-Diptheria-Pertussis, Influenza, Chickenpox, Polio, Malaria
Asia
As of late 2024 and January 2025, there is a parvovirus outbreak in Japan and a string of rabies-related deaths in Vietnam. Your doctor might also recommend additional vaccines for a trip to India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia. I was vaccinated for Japanese encephalitis for travel in both.
- Get a vaccination or booster to prevent these illnesses: Hep A, Hep B, Yellow Fever, Japanese Encephalitis, and Rabies
- Consider looking into: Typhoid, Cholera, MMR (measles-mumps-rubella), Tetanus-Diptheria-Pertussis, Influenza, Chickenpox, Polio, Malaria
Oceania
There are reports of Dengue in the Torres Straight (north of Australia), along with cases of Japanese Encephalitis in Australia.
- Get a vaccination or booster to prevent these illnesses: Hep A, Hep B, Yellow Fever, Japanese Encephalitis, and Rabies
- Consider looking into: Typhoid, Cholera, MMR (measles-mumps-rubella), Tetanus-Diptheria-Pertussis, Influenza, Chickenpox, Polio, Malaria
