Health Requirements | Inoculation against major diseases is recommended |
Inoculation regulations can change at short notice. Please take medical advice in the case of doubt.
A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over one year of age arriving from infected areas; those countries formerly classified as endemic zones are considered to be still infected by the Kenyan authorities. Travellers arriving from non-endemic zones should note that vaccination is strongly recommended for travel outside the urban areas, even if an outbreak of the disease has not been reported and they would normally not require a vaccination certificate to enter the country.
Following WHO guidelines issued in 1973, a cholera vaccination certificate is no longer a condition of entry to Kenya. However, cholera is a serious risk in this country and precautions are essential. There was an outbreak of cholera in the Eastleigh area of Nairobi in June 2005. Up-to-date advice should be sought before deciding whether these precautions should include vaccination, as medical opinion is divided over its effectiveness; see the Health appendix for further information.
Immunisation against typhoid and poliomyelitis is recommended.
Malaria risk exists throughout the year in the whole country. There is usually less risk in Nairobi and in the highlands (above 2500m/8200ft) of the Central, Eastern Nyanza, Rift Valley and Western Provinces. The predominant falciparum strain has been reported as highly resistant to chloroquine and resistant to sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine. Mefloquine, doxycycline or malarone are the recommended prophylaxis. |
