Malawi

Schistosomiasis (bilharzia) in Lake Malawi

Lake Malawi is a well-documented source of schistosomiasis (bilharzia), and infections among travelers — including those who only briefly swam, paddled, or did water sports — are common. There is no vaccine and no reliable way to tell if water is safe. Avoid swimming, wading, and other contact with the lake's freshwater. Travelers with possible exposure should discuss screening and treatment (praziquantel) with their doctor on return.

CDC / WHO ↗ · Updated 2026

Yellow fever certificate only if arriving from a risk country

Malawi has no domestic yellow fever risk and the vaccine is not routinely recommended for travel from Switzerland. However, a YF vaccination certificate may be required if you are arriving from — or have recently transited (typically a layover over 12 hours) — a country with yellow fever transmission risk. Direct travel from Switzerland is not affected.

WHO / Malawi entry requirements ↗ · Updated 2026

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

• Chickenpox (Varicella)
• Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (DTaP, Tdap)
• Influenza (flu)
• Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR)
• Polio
• COVID-19

Consider for travelers to areas with active transmission, aid and healthcare workers, those staying in poor sanitary conditions, or with increased individual risk. No internal disease page — discuss with your travel clinic.

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

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

Particularly recommended for: long stays; high individual risk regardless of duration (cycling/motorbike trips, hiking and remote travel, small children, those working with animals, cavers — bats). Post-exposure care can be hard to obtain locally.

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