Article
Asia - travel vaccination advice
Published Updated
Vaccination against various diseases is recommended when travelling to most Asian countries. The vaccines depend on the destination, type of accommodation, sanitary conditions, length of stay and the general health of the traveller.
Malaria precautions are essential in most Asian countries. Avoid mosquito bites by covering up with clothing such as long sleeves and long trousers especially after sunset, using insect repellents on exposed skin and, when necessary, sleeping under a mosquito net. In addition, antimalarial tablets are recommended when travelling to some areas in Asia.
For information about yellow fever vaccination requirements, see WHO:
Asia is not declared polio-free.
People who are unsure if they have had the MMR vaccine or whether they have had measles, mumps or rubella (German measles) are recommended to have the vaccine.
International travel can be divided into two main groups
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GROUP I |
Business and tourist travel to cities and tourist resorts, staying in standard tourist-class hotels with good food hygiene and adequate sanitary conditions. |
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GROUP II |
Long-term foreign travel or residence in areas with poor hygiene and sanitation, and / or close and prolonged contact with locals (such as work, back-packing trips, immigrants on a visit to their former homeland). |
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( ): Parentheses around the abbreviation means that the proposed prevention should be considered individually depending on the trip type and local geographic and seasonal variations in disease prevalence. In addition, the traveller's health, age and previous immunisation status should be considered. |
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Recommended vaccines
| DESTINATION | GROUP I | GROUP II |
| Japan | dTP-IPV* | dTP-IPV* (Hep B) (J) (TBE) |
| Singapore | dTP-IPV* | dTP-IPV* (Hep B) (BCG) (J) |
| Malaysia (Malaysian peninsula), Thailand | dTP-IPV* | dTP-IPV* (Hep A) (Typh) (Hep B) (BCG) (Rab) (J) |
| South Korea | dTP-IPV* | dTP-IPV* (Hep A) (Hep B) (BCG) (Rab) (J) |
| Maldives | dTP-IPV* | dTP-IPV* (Hep A) Typh |
| Mongolia, Kazakhstan | dTP-IPV* Hep A |
dTP-IPV* Hep A Typh (Hep B) (BCG) (Rab) (TBE) |
| Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan | dTP-IPV* Hep A |
dTP-IPV* |
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Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, India, Laos, Malaysia (Borneo Islands), Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Vietnam |
dTP-IPV* Hep A |
dTP-IPV* Hep A Typh (Hep B) (BCG) (Rab) (J) |
| Indonesia |
dTP-IPV* |
dTP-IPV* |
| China, Russia (Asian part) | dTP-IPV* Hep A |
dTP-IPV* Hep A Typh (Hep B) (BCG) (Rab) (J) (TBE) |
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Afghanistan, Pakistan
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dTP-IPV* IPV** Hep A Typh |
dTP-IPV* IPV** Hep A Typh (Hep B) (BCG) (Rab) |
*) Everybody should be vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough) and poliomyelitis. Adults who have had the basic vaccinations should have a booster dose against these diseases every 10 years.
Please note that WHO considers Laos to be countries that are vulnerable to polio outbreaks. It is therefore particularly important that these countries are protected against polio.
**) Anyone travelling from a country with an ongoing outbreak should have the polio vaccine between 4 weeks and 12 months before leaving the country. This must be documented with an international vaccine certificate. This applies for people of all ages, including children who are considered to be fully vaccinated according to the Childhood Immunisation Programme.
Abbreviations for travel vaccines
- dTP-IPV: Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio vaccine
- IPV: Poliomyelitis vaccine
- Hep A: Hepatitis A vaccine
- Hep B: Hepatitis B vaccine
- J: Japanese encephalitis vaccine
- Rab: Rabies vaccine
- TBE: Tick-borne encephalitis vaccine
- Typh: Typhoid vaccine
- BCG: Tuberculosis vaccine
