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Philippines

Southeast 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

The Philippines requires a yellow fever vaccination certificate from travelers arriving from (or who have transited through) a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. There is no yellow fever risk within the Philippines itself, and direct travel from Switzerland is not affected.

WHO / Philippine immigration guidance ↗ · Updated 2026

Malaria

Moderate

Dengue

High

Yellow fever

None

Chikungunya

Moderate

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
Chikungunya

Vaccination indicated during chikungunya outbreaks; may also be considered for countries with elevated risk (see EKRM statement).

—
Dengue

Qdenga® vaccination currently recommended only for travelers with documented prior dengue infection who will be exposed in a region with high dengue transmission.

—
Hepatitis A

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.

CDC Yellow Book
Hepatitis B

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

CDC Yellow Book
Japanese encephalitis

Consider for travelers spending a month or more in rural rice-growing or pig-farming areas, or with high-risk rural itineraries. Not needed for typical urban or beach-resort stays.

—
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 common throughout the Philippines and is a leading cause of human rabies in the region.

CDC Yellow Book
Typhoid

Recommended for long-term travelers, visiting friends and relatives, those staying in poor hygienic conditions, or with individual risk factors.

CDC Yellow Book

Disease-specific guidance

Malaria

Moderate

Risk is confined to defined areas — mainly rural Palawan province and parts of the Mindanao island group — with chloroquine resistance documented. There is no risk in Metropolitan Manila, Cebu, Bohol, or other urban centers, and most popular destinations are low- or no-risk. Chemoprophylaxis is recommended for travel to risk areas in Palawan and Mindanao; bite protection is the priority elsewhere.

Risk areas
Rural Palawan and parts of Mindanao
No risk
Manila, Cebu, Bohol, urban centers
Resistance
Chloroquine resistance documented
Prevention
Prophylaxis for Palawan/Mindanao; bite protection elsewhere

Yellow fever

None

No yellow fever risk in the Philippines. A vaccination certificate is required only for travelers arriving from, or transiting through, a country with yellow fever transmission risk. Direct travel from Switzerland is not affected.

Dengue

High

Endemic year-round throughout the Philippines, including Manila and all major tourist destinations, with peaks during the rainy season. Daytime mosquito-bite prevention is the main protection.

Distribution
Nationwide, all major cities and islands
Season
Year-round; peaks in rainy season
Mosquito
Aedes aegypti — bites during daytime

Chikungunya

Moderate

Transmission occurs with periodic outbreaks across the Philippines. The same daytime Aedes mosquito vector as dengue, so dengue prevention also protects against chikungunya. Vaccination considered in outbreak settings or for some longer stays (see EKRM statement).

General prevention

Food & water

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

Mosquito protection

Dengue circulates year-round across the islands including urban areas, so daytime mosquito protection (DEET or picaridin repellent, long sleeves) is essential everywhere, including Manila and the resort islands. For travel to rural Palawan or parts of Mindanao, also protect at dawn and dusk for malaria and discuss chemoprophylaxis with a travel medicine specialist beforehand.

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.