Here is some general information to help you prepare for your visit to South Africa.

Please be sure to consult with your health practitioner prior to your departure for updated information and for treatment appropriate to your personal health and circumstances.

While not required, the malaria tablet is strongly recommended when visiting the Kruger Park area. Please check with your MD for your particular medicinal needs.

Currently, the only mandatory vaccine is Yellow Fever only for those travelers arriving from a country at risk for yellow fever or in transit for more than 12 hours at an airport in a country at risk for yellow fever.*
Malaria Advice for Travelers

The risk for malaria increases from September and September to May is considered the malaria season. Overall control initiatives have been very successful in the malaria transmission areas. Mostly falciparum malaria is seen. The risk remains low in KwaZulu-Natal and is confined to the very far northern KZN. There is no malaria in the Drakensberg, Hluhluwe and Umfolozi Game Parks and St Lucia areas. The risk of malaria in the Kruger National Park will increase and malaria chemoprophylaxis needs to be considered.

After periods of low rainfall, the risk of malaria at Kruger is low. In any case, it is always wise to take steps to avoid being bitten. The most vulnerable times are between dusk and dawn. People are advised to stay indoors during these periods or cover exposed skin with light clothing or insect repellents. Remember, mosquitoes find ankles quite savory.

Mozambique has year-round malaria and the risks in southern Zambia, Zimbabwe (Victoria Falls) will likewise increase. Measures to reduce mosquito bites (the malaria mosquitoes are most active from sunset to sunrise) are essential and include the application of DEET-containing insect repellents to exposed areas, wearing of long pants and socks and sleeping under a mosquito net.

Any person developing flu-like symptoms 7 to 20 days (or even longer) after being in malaria-risk areas should be tested immediately for malaria until the symptoms clear or an alternative diagnosis is made. It is important to advise medical practitioners that you have been in a malaria-risk area to avoid incorrect diagnosis.

*Should you be entering South Africa via any countries mentioned below, proof of Yellow Fever Vaccination would be required upon entry into South Africa:

  • Angola, Argentina, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Guinea-Bissau, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, French Guyana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guyana, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Suriname, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania and Venezuela.

Rabies, typhoid, and meningococcal vaccines are not generally recommended for the average tourist. It is essential that travelers are up to date with the standard immunizations.

OTHER VACCINES

Tetanus – Ensure that boosters are up to date
Typhoid – Low risk – vaccine not recommended
Polio – No risk
Measles – Low risk in South African sporadic cases only. Outbreaks in UK and parts of Europe. Vaccine contra-indicated in transplant recipients and immuno-compromised travelers, pregnancy

Here is a link that is worth looking into:
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/clinician/none/south-africa

Please be sure to consult with your health practitioner prior to your departure for updated information and for treatment appropriate to your personal health and circumstances.