TravelMedEvidence. Expertise. Safer travel.
/
All countries
🇳🇵

Nepal

South 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.

Altitude — acute mountain sickness on treks

Nepal's classic treks (Everest Base Camp, Annapurna, and high passes) routinely exceed 4,000–5,000 m, where acute mountain sickness, and the more dangerous high-altitude cerebral and pulmonary edema (HACE/HAPE), are real risks. Ascend gradually, build in acclimatization days, and learn to recognize warning signs and when to descend. Discuss preventive measures and standby medication (e.g. acetazolamide) with your travel medicine specialist before departure.

EKRM / CDC ↗ · Updated 2026

Polio — WHO recommends a booster for some travelers

Nepal is among the states WHO lists in connection with the standing polio public-health emergency. Travelers should be fully immunized against polio per the Swiss BAG schedule; adults who completed their childhood series are generally advised to have had one lifetime IPV booster. Discuss with your travel medicine specialist, particularly for longer stays.

WHO Polio IHR Emergency Committee / CDC ↗ · Updated 2026

Yellow fever — certificate only if arriving from a risk country

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

CDC / WHO ↗ · Updated 2026

Malaria

Low

Dengue

Moderate

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
Cholera

May be considered for aid/relief workers or travelers heading to areas of active transmission under poor sanitary conditions. Not needed for typical tourist travel.

CDC Yellow Book
Hepatitis A

Recommended for all travelers from one year of age. 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 extended time (typically a month or more, or shorter with high-risk rural exposure) in the southern Terai rice-growing lowlands during transmission season. Not needed for typical Kathmandu/Pokhara or high-altitude trekking itineraries.

—
Rabies

Particularly recommended for long stays, trekking and travel to remote areas with limited access to post-exposure care, cyclists/motorbike trips, infants and children, and those working with animals. Stray dogs are a common rabies vector, including in Kathmandu.

CDC Yellow Book
Typhoid

Recommended for most travelers, and particularly for trekkers, those visiting friends and relatives, staying in rural areas, or for longer stays.

CDC Yellow Book

Disease-specific guidance

Malaria

Low

Risk is limited to the southern Terai lowlands below about 2,000 m. Chemoprophylaxis is recommended for the higher-risk districts of Sudurpashchim and Karnali provinces below 2,000 m; other lowland areas below 2,000 m have only rare cases and call for mosquito-avoidance measures. Kathmandu, Pokhara, and the classic Himalayan trekking routes are malaria-free.

Chemoprophylaxis
Sudurpashchim & Karnali provinces below 2,000 m
Bite protection
Other Terai areas below 2,000 m (rare cases)
No risk
Kathmandu, Pokhara, Himalayan trekking routes
Species
Mostly P. vivax (chloroquine-resistant); <10% P. falciparum
Malaria risk areas in Nepal (CDC).

Yellow fever

None

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

Dengue

Moderate

Dengue has expanded in recent years, with large outbreaks in the Terai and in Kathmandu Valley during and after the monsoon. Risk falls off at higher elevations. Daytime mosquito-bite prevention is the main protection.

Distribution
Terai and Kathmandu Valley; less at altitude
Season
Peaks during/after monsoon (roughly Aug–Nov)
Mosquito
Aedes aegypti — bites during daytime

Chikungunya

Low

Sporadic transmission occurs, mainly in the lowlands, sharing the same daytime Aedes mosquito vector as dengue — so dengue prevention also protects against chikungunya. Vaccination considered in outbreak settings (see EKRM statement).

General prevention

Food & water

Traveler's diarrhea, typhoid, and hepatitis A are very common, including on the trekking trail. Use bottled or properly treated water, avoid ice from unverified sources, and favor thoroughly cooked food and fruit you peel yourself. Cholera circulates seasonally — careful food and water hygiene matters, especially outside major hotels.

Mosquito protection

Mosquito-borne risk is concentrated in the southern Terai lowlands. There, use daytime protection (DEET or picaridin repellent, long sleeves) against dengue and at dawn/dusk and overnight against Japanese encephalitis, plus malaria bite protection below ~2,000 m. Kathmandu, Pokhara, and high trekking routes have little to no mosquito-borne risk.

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.