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Vanuatu

Melanesia · Oceania · 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.

Malaria present — discuss prevention before travel

Vanuatu has year-round malaria transmission across most of the country (predominantly P. vivax, with rare chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum). Chemoprophylaxis (atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, or mefloquine) is commonly recommended alongside strict mosquito protection; the southern Tafea Province has achieved malaria-free status. Discuss the right approach for your itinerary with your travel medicine specialist.

CDC Yellow Book 2024 / EKRM ↗ · Updated 2026

Yellow fever certificate if arriving from a risk country

There is no yellow fever in Vanuatu, but a valid YF vaccination certificate is required on entry for travelers arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. Direct travel from Switzerland is not affected.

WHO / Vanuatu immigration guidance ↗ · Updated 2026

Recent alerts

All alerts →
Level 1 - Ciguatera Fish Poisoning in Vanuatu

There is an outbreak of ciguatera fish poisoning in Vanuatu.

CDC Travel Health Notices · May 7, 2026

Malaria

Moderate

Dengue

Moderate

Yellow fever

None

Chikungunya

None

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
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

Recommended given local prevalence and limited healthcare. Routine in the Swiss BAG childhood schedule since 1998, so younger travelers are usually already covered.

CDC Yellow Book
Rabies

Low risk overall — rabies is not commonly found in local dogs — but consider for long stays or remote travel where post-exposure care would be hard to obtain quickly.

CDC Yellow Book
Typhoid

Recommended for travel to Vanuatu, particularly for rural travel, longer stays, visiting friends and relatives, or staying in poor hygienic conditions.

CDC Yellow Book

Disease-specific guidance

Malaria

Moderate

Year-round transmission across most of the country, predominantly P. vivax with rare chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum and P. ovale. Risk is focal and concentrated in northern and central provinces (e.g. Sanma); the southern Tafea Province (incl. Tanna and Aneityum) is at the southern limit of transmission and has been declared malaria-free. Chemoprophylaxis is commonly recommended alongside mosquito protection.

Risk area
Most of the country; focal, north/central
Low/no risk
Southern Tafea Province (declared malaria-free)
Species
Predominantly P. vivax
Resistance
Chloroquine-resistant
Prevention
Chemoprophylaxis + mosquito protection

Yellow fever

None

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

Dengue

Moderate

Endemic with year-round risk and periodic outbreaks. Daytime mosquito-bite prevention is the main protection and also reduces Zika risk.

Distribution
Throughout the islands
Season
Year-round
Mosquito
Aedes aegypti — bites during daytime

General prevention

Food & water

Use bottled or filtered water, avoid ice from unverified sources, and pay attention to food hygiene. Standard tropical precautions reduce risk of traveler's diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid — particularly relevant for rural travel and stays outside the main resorts. Note also the local risk of ciguatera fish poisoning from large reef fish.

Mosquito protection

Round-the-clock mosquito protection is important. Daytime-biting Aedes mosquitoes transmit dengue and Zika, while night-biting Anopheles transmit malaria across most of the country. Use DEET or picaridin repellent, cover up at dawn and dusk, and sleep under an insecticide-treated bed net in rural and lowland areas.

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.