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China

East Asia · Asia · 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 entry rule — certificate if arriving from a risk country

China requires a yellow fever vaccination certificate from travelers arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. There is no yellow fever in China itself, and direct travel from Switzerland is not affected. Travelers routing through a yellow-fever-endemic country should carry their certificate.

WHO / Chinese entry requirements ↗ · Updated 2026

Country is malaria-free since 2021

China was certified malaria-free by WHO in 2021 after recording zero indigenous cases for several consecutive years. No malaria chemoprophylaxis is recommended for any part of the country. Imported cases still occur near the Yunnan/Southeast-Asia border, so general mosquito-bite protection remains worthwhile in those areas.

WHO ↗ · Updated 2026

Malaria

None

Dengue

Low

Yellow fever

None

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
Hepatitis A

Recommended for essentially all travelers. 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 the Swiss childhood schedule since 1998 — younger travelers are usually covered.

CDC Yellow Book
Japanese encephalitis

Consider for travelers spending a month or more in rural areas, or shorter stays with significant rural/outdoor exposure during the transmission season (mainly summer and autumn in much of the country). Not needed for typical urban or short business itineraries.

—
Rabies

Particularly recommended for: long stays; high individual risk regardless of duration (cycling/motorbike trips, hiking in remote areas, infants and children, those working with animals, cavers — bats!). Rabies in dogs is present in China; post-exposure care can be hard to access in rural areas.

CDC Yellow Book
Tick-borne encephalitis

Risk in forested areas of north-eastern China (and parts of the north-west) for travelers with extensive outdoor exposure in spring/summer. The same TBE vaccine used in Switzerland applies; discuss with your travel clinic.

—
Typhoid

Recommended for long-term travelers, those visiting friends and relatives, those staying in poor hygienic conditions, and travel to smaller cities or rural areas.

CDC Yellow Book

Disease-specific guidance

Malaria

None

China was certified malaria-free by WHO in 2021, and no malaria chemoprophylaxis is recommended for any part of the country. Imported cases continue to be detected near the Yunnan border with Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam, so general mosquito-bite protection is still sensible there, but the risk to travelers is now very low nationwide.

Status
WHO-certified malaria-free since 2021
Residual
Imported cases near Yunnan/SE-Asia border
Prophylaxis
None recommended anywhere
Prevention
General mosquito protection near borders

Yellow fever

None

No yellow fever risk in China. A vaccination certificate is required only for travelers arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. Direct travel from Switzerland is not affected.

Dengue

Low

Dengue occurs in southern and southeastern China (including Guangdong, Yunnan, and Hainan) with seasonal outbreaks, mainly in the warmer months. Major northern cities such as Beijing are not transmission areas. Daytime mosquito-bite prevention is the main protection in affected regions.

Distribution
Southern/SE provinces (Guangdong, Yunnan, Hainan)
Season
Warmer months; outbreak years vary
Mosquito
Aedes — bites during daytime

Chikungunya

Low

Sporadic transmission with occasional local outbreaks in southern China, sharing the same daytime Aedes mosquito vector as dengue. Dengue-style daytime bite prevention also protects against chikungunya. Vaccination is considered mainly in outbreak settings (see EKRM statement).

General prevention

Food & water

Use bottled or filtered water, avoid ice from unverified sources, and pay attention to food hygiene. Standard precautions reduce the risk of traveler's diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid — especially relevant when eating outside major hotels and in smaller cities or rural areas.

Mosquito protection

Dengue and chikungunya occur, mainly in southern and southeastern provinces and during the warmer months — daytime mosquito protection (DEET or picaridin repellent, long sleeves) is sensible there. For rural travel, particularly stays in rice-growing or pig-farming areas in summer and autumn, also protect at dawn/dusk against Japanese encephalitis.

Sources

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

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