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Burundi

East Africa · Africa · Physician brief

📝Draft — pending physician review
📝Draft — pending physician review. This brief was compiled from CDC, WHO, and EKRM/HealthyTravel sources (June 2026) and has not yet been verified by a clinician. Confirm specifics with a travel-medicine professional before relying on it.

Yellow fever vaccination required for entry

A valid yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for all travelers aged 9 months and older entering Burundi. The certificate becomes valid 10 days after vaccination and is valid for life. Yellow fever is also endemic, so the vaccine is medically recommended regardless of the entry rule.

CDC / WHO ↗ · Updated 2026

Cholera transmission

Cholera transmission has been reported in the Bujumbura area and surrounding divisions. Adhere strictly to safe food and water practices; oral cholera vaccine may be considered for some travelers.

CDC / WHO ↗ · Updated 2026

Malaria

High

Dengue

None

Yellow fever

High

Chikungunya

Low

Vaccines

VaccineRecommendationReference
Routine vaccines

Make sure you are up-to-date on all routine vaccines before every trip — per the Swiss BAG schedule. These include:

BAG Impfplan
Cholera

Oral cholera vaccine may be considered for travel to areas with active transmission (e.g. Bujumbura), or for aid/health workers and those in poor sanitary conditions. Discuss individual risk with your travel medicine specialist.

CDC Yellow Book
Hepatitis A

Recommended for all travelers to East Africa. Note for Swiss travelers: Hepatitis A is not part of the routine Swiss BAG childhood schedule, so most adult travelers will need vaccination.

CDC Yellow Book
Hepatitis B

Consider per individual risk and stay duration. Routine in Swiss childhood schedule since 1998 — younger travelers usually covered.

CDC Yellow Book
Rabies

Recommended for longer stays, remote travel, cycling/motorbike trips, work with animals, and for children. Rabid dogs are present and post-exposure care is hard to obtain locally.

CDC Yellow Book
Typhoid

Recommended for most travelers, especially those visiting rural areas, staying with friends and relatives, or in poor hygienic conditions.

CDC Yellow Book
Yellow fever

Required for entry (certificate for all travelers ≥9 months) and medically recommended — Burundi is yellow-fever-endemic. Single dose gives lifelong protection. Administered in Switzerland only at approved yellow fever vaccination centres.

CDC Yellow Book

Disease-specific guidance

Malaria

High

High risk throughout the country, year-round, including Bujumbura. The predominant parasite is the dangerous P. falciparum, with chloroquine resistance present. Chemoprophylaxis is recommended for all travelers in addition to strict mosquito-bite prevention.

Risk
High, country-wide, year-round
Parasite
Mainly P. falciparum
Resistance
Chloroquine-resistant
Prophylaxis
Atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, or mefloquine

Yellow fever

High

Yellow fever is endemic. Vaccination is recommended for all travelers aged 9 months and older, and a valid certificate is required for entry. A single dose provides lifelong protection. See country alert for entry details.

Risk
Endemic
Entry rule
Certificate required (≥9 months)
Vaccine
One dose, lifelong validity
Yellow fever vaccine recommendation areas in Africa (CDC).

General prevention

Food & water

Strict food and water precautions are essential — use bottled or reliably treated water, avoid ice and raw produce, and eat only thoroughly cooked food. These measures reduce traveler's diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid, and cholera (periodic transmission reported around Bujumbura).

Mosquito protection

Aggressive mosquito-bite prevention is essential — malaria transmission is high year-round, country-wide. Use DEET or picaridin repellent, cover up at dawn and dusk, and sleep under an insecticide-treated net.

Sources

Based on CDC Travelers’ Health, CDC Yellow Book, and the Swiss Federal Vaccination Schedule (BAG). Always verify current recommendations before travel.

Visiting more than one country?

Build a combined itinerary and get merged recommendations across all destinations.

Plan an itinerary

This brief is for informational purposes and does not replace personalized medical advice.
Consult a travel medicine specialist 4–8 weeks before departure.