A stay abroad implies for any traveler to take certain health precautions. The section below mentions the essential indications.
To avoid any health concerns during the trip,it is necessary to prepare for it as soon as possible. To do this, it will be necessary to find out about the mandatory vaccines,and about the risks to avoid once there. A good pharmacy kit can also be helpful. Find out as soon as possible to plan any vaccinations to be carried out,and which could impose special waiting periodson you. Find out more on the website of the Pasteur Institute www.pasteur.fr
It is also necessary to take out insurance in France to cover the costs of medical and medical repatriation.
Update your vaccination record
Traveling is not necessarily trivial: your body may face diseases or viruses for which it is not prepared in its country of origin. For the sake of prevention, you can consult your doctor who will inform you about the risks you will incur in relation to your current state of health. To begin with, the updating of mandatory vaccines is essential; it concerns diphtheria, tetanus, and poliomyelitis. A reminder every ten years is necessary if you have already been vaccinated, to note in your health record so as not to forget. If this first vaccine has never been made, you will need to be vaccinated, then perform a booster after one to two months, as well as a second after one year. Immediately immunized, however, you can travel from the first vaccination.
For children, mandatory vaccines are measles, rubella, mumps, and hepatitis B. If you respect the deadlines between the first vaccine and the boosters, the child is therefore protected and can accompany you. However, avoid taking them to countries where there is a risk of epidemics, as their immune systems are less developed than those of an adult, which makes them much more susceptible to infections.
Learn about health risks
Depending on the destination, exposure to health risks is not comparable. Some destinations require a specific vaccination certificate such as the one for yellow fever for trips to Guyana or Equatorial Africa. This vaccination, without being mandatory, is recommended for travel to certain regions of Brazil or Venezuela. One injection is enough to be immunized ten years, but must be performed at least ten days before departure.
Warning: the yellow fever vaccine causes side effects for several days or even weeks, such as a feeling of weakness, body aches, fever, fatigue, headache. We tested, we confirm!
Another important health risk is malaria,which is particularly prevalent in Equatorial Africa, Central America and Asia, such as Indonesia, Malaysia or the Philippines. This disease is transmitted by mosquito bites,which it will be necessary to protect oneself(see our article on protection against insects). A vaccine is under development and seems to be achieving promising results. Depending on the level of exposure to this risk, you will therefore need to have an appropriate treatment, which will be prescribed by a doctor.
For Dengue,there is no vaccine yet. It is caught by mosquito bites, so the same precautions must be applied as for malaria.
What additional vaccines are needed?
Hepatitis A and B and typhoid vaccines are highly recommended,but not mandatory, for travel to countries where sanitary conditions are considered precarious.
Hepatitis A is an infection that is contracted by ingestion of contaminated food or water,or by contagion by a person carrying the virus. Often benign, it usually affects the liver. The hepatitis A vaccine is givenan injection, and one is immediately immunized. On the other hand, it is necessary to carry out a booster after six months,which makes vaccination effective ten years.
Hepatitis B is transmitted sexually or bloodstream, and is much more dangerous than hepatitis A; in some cases, it can be fatal or degenerate into serious liver disease. The vaccine is done by two injections one month apart,which make it effective, then by a booster after six months,the vaccine then becoming valid indefinitely.
For typhoid, a recall every three years is necessary.
In which countries are vaccines needed?
Africa
Country | Mandatory Vaccines | Recommended Vaccines |
South Africa | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis |
Algeria | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Meningococcal / Rabies |
Angola | yellow fever | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B |
Burkina Faso | yellow fever | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Meningococcal |
Cape Verde | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Meningococcal |
Congo | yellow fever | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Meningococcal |
Côte d’Ivoire | yellow fever | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Meningococcal |
Ethiopia | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Meningococcal |
Egypt | DTP / Meningococcal | Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B |
Gabon | yellow fever | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Meningococcal |
Guinea | yellow fever | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Meningococcal |
Kenya | yellow fever | DTP / Typhoid / Hep. A & B / Meningococcal / Measles |
Madagascar | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B |
Morocco | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B |
Senegal | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Meningococcal |
Seychelles | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B |
Tunisia | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B |
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America
Country | Mandatory Vaccines | Recommended Vaccines |
Argentina | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B |
Bahamas | No | Dtp |
Belize | No | Dtp |
Bolivia | No | DTP / Yellow Fever / Hepatitis A & B |
Brazil | No | DTP / Yellow Fever / Hepatitis A & B |
Canada | No | No |
Chile | No | DTP / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis |
Costa Rica | No | DTP / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis |
Cuba | No | DTP / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis |
United States | No | No |
Guatemala | No | DTP / Hepatitis A & B |
Guyana | yellow fever | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis |
Haiti | No | DTP / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis / Measles |
Mexico | No | DTP / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis |
Peru | No | DTP / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis |
Uruguay | No | DTP / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis |
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Asia
Country | Mandatory Vaccines | Recommended Vaccines |
Burma | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis |
Cambodia | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis |
China | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis |
South Korea | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis |
India | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis |
Indonesia | No | DTP / Typh. / Hep. A &B / Pertussis / Japanese Encephalitis |
Japan | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis |
Laos | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis |
Malaysia | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis |
Maldives | yellow fever | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis |
Mongolia | No | DTP / Typh. / Hep. A & B / Pertussis / MRR |
Nepal | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis |
Philippines | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis |
Sri Lanka | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis |
Thailand | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis |
Viet Nam | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis |
–
Oceania
Country | Mandatory Vaccines | Recommended Vaccines |
Australia | No | No |
New caledonia | No | DTP / Typhoid / Hepatitis A & B / Pertussis |
New Zealand | No | No |
Polynesia | No | No |
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This information is given for information purposes only.
Learn more about each country's vaccines and regulations: Health – Vaccinations and Regulations
Where can I get vaccinated?
At your family doctor for common vaccines (example: Diphtheria-Tetanus-Polio, Hepatitis, Typhoid, etc…) and for other vaccines, it is better to get closer to the international vaccination center closest to you.
Learn more about vaccination centres: Health – Where to get vaccinated?
At what price?
Vaccines | Price |
Hepatitis A + B | €60 |
Diphtheria-Tetanus-Polio-Pertussis | €40 |
yellow fever | 73 € |
typhoid | €56 |
Meningococcal meningitis | €52 |
rabies | €50 |
Japanese encephalitis | €105 |
Measles-Mumps-Rubella | €25 |
–
These rates are extracted from www.pasteur.fr in 2017.
Learn more about vaccination rates: Health – Vaccination rates
Prepare and adapt your pharmacy kit
You must adapt your pharmacy kit according to your destination and your activities. You can compose it by following the recommendations issued by the Institute for Health Surveillance.
See our list to compose your pharmacy kit.
Health Risk Mappings
Rabbinical Risk Map
Chikungunia Risk Map
Hepatitis A Risk Map
Hepatitis B Risk Map
Polyomelite Risk Map
Dengue risk map
Yellow Fever Risk Map
Good hygiene practices
Good hygiene practices prevent travellers' diarrhea, hepatitis A contamination, or other diseases such as amoebiasis.
For more information, visit the following websites:
It is recommended to wash your hands often with soap or hydroalcoholic gel (water is insufficient), especially:
- Before meals;
- Before any food handling;
- After going to the toilet.
What to do:
- Consume only bottled water capsized (bottle opened in front of you) or made drinkable (portable filter, disinfectant product, boiling 1 minute in large broths);
- Peel the fruits;
- Milk should be pasteurized or boiled.
What not to do,ingest risky foods or beverages such as:
- Raw vegetables or cooked foods consumed cold, whether or not stored in the refrigerator;
- Unbottled local water;
- Shells, warmed dishes, ice cubes and ice cream.
In some regions, learn locally about the toxicity risks of sea fish, independent of the degree of cooking(ciguatera).
Travellers' diarrhea (or tourista)
Diarrhea is a common health problem faced by travellers; these are usually mild disorders due to infections acquired while eating contaminated food or water. These disorders usually disappear spontaneously within 1 to 3 days.
Travellers from industrialized countries are most at risk of diarrhoea when travelling to countries with a low level of hygiene or when conditions of stay are precarious. Caution recommends compliance with the indicated food hygiene measures. There is no vaccination available yet. Curative treatment is often a self-treatment for which it is convenient to have medications that will be provided before departure.
Personal and general hygiene
It is necessary to protect against bacteria or parasites that can be found in the soil or water (prevention of larbish, anguillulosis, hookworms, bilharzioses, skin infections …).
- Avoid allowing laundry to dry outside or on the floor;
- Do not walk barefoot on the beaches;
- Do not lie down on the sand;
- Wear closed shoes on muddy or damp soils;
- Do not walk or bathe in fresh waters;
- Do not pet animals.
Prevention of mosquito-borne diseases
General preventive measures to protect against mosquitoes:
- Wearclothing that covers, loose, light, light in colour and impregnated with insecticidal textile treatment (effective for two months and resistant to washing);
- Use skin repellents: http://social-sante.gouv.fr/sante-et-environnement/risques-microbiologiques-physiques-et-chimiques/especes-nuisibles-et-parasites/repulsifs-moustiques;
- Protect your home (mosquito nets, electric diffusers, coils, air conditioning, etc.);
- Destroy potential mosquito breeding sites (containers of stagnant water such as saucers under flower pots, gutters, tires, etc.).
You can also check out our article on good practices for protection against insect bites.
Prevention of sexual diseases
General prevention measures to protect against HIV-STD infections
With regard to sexually transmitted diseases, it is recommended to take all the usual precautions in this area and to avoid risky behaviour.
Information on the risks of sexual transmission: website of the High Council for Public Health