What shots do I need for Southeast Asia?
If you are traveling to Southeast Asia, there is a good chance you'll need some shots. The shots you need will depend on (a) what part of Southeast Asia, (b) how long you're staying, (c) what you will be doing while there, and (d) your immunization and medical history.
Southeast Asia vaccine checklist
CDC vaccine recommendations for Southeast Asian countries
Country | Typhoid | Japanese encephalitis | Cholera | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brunei | Recommended | Recommended for some travelers* | |||
Cambodia | Recommended | Recommended for some travelers* | |||
East Timor | Recommended | Recommended for some travelers* | |||
Indonesia | Recommended | Recommended for some travelers* | Polio booster for adults | ||
Laos | Recommended | Recommended for some travelers* | |||
Malaysia | Recommended | Recommended for some travelers* | |||
Myanmar | Recommended | Recommended for some travelers* | |||
Philippines | Recommended | Recommended for some travelers* | Recommended for some travelers | ||
Singapore | Recommended | ||||
Thailand | Recommended | Recommended for some travelers* | |||
Vietnam | Recommended | Recommended for some travelers* |
* Patients traveling to these countries for a month or more, spending extended periods of time outdoors, or are uncertain about their travel duration or activities are recommended to receive the Japanese encephalitis vaccine.
Japanese encephalitis and typhoid in Southeast Asia
Typhoid and Japanese encephalitis are the two most frequently recommended vaccines for travel to Southeast Asia. Both of these vaccines are safe and effective. Both of the diseases they protect against are deadly or disabling.
Typhoid vaccine: This vaccine provides protection from typhoid fever which is mainly spread through contaminated water. You can choose from an oral vaccine or an injection.
Japanese encephalitis vaccine: This vaccine protects against Japanese encephalitis virus which is spread by mosquitoes.
You may need malaria pills too
There is currently no vaccine in the U.S. for malaria but there are drugs you can take to help prevent malaria. Talk to a travel health specialist about your options. Whether you need to take malaria pills really depends on where you go and what you're doing while there.
Map shows 2020 rate of malaria from Malaria Atlas Project