Vaccines for South Africa
The checker above opens on South Africa: add Zambia, Uganda or Kenya to the route and watch the yellow fever certificate appear at the South African border.
Travel vaccines CDC lists for most or some travelers on this trip
3 vaccines
plus 2 to discuss and routine vaccines up to date
| Yellow fever | Required only if you arrive from a risk country (South Africa) |
| Malaria | Prescription tablets for areas of South Africa |
| Longest lead time | 28 days before departure (Hepatitis B, 2 doses (Heplisav-B)) |
| Published price, these vaccines | $440 median, $370 to $630 |
Levels from the CDC destination pages; age 35 used for the Japanese encephalitis schedule. A list to take to a doctor, nurse or pharmacist, not medical advice.
| Disease | CDC level | Where | Start at least | Median price per dose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow fever | Required only if you arrive from a risk country | South Africa | 10 days before | $269 |
| Hepatitis A | CDC: most travelers | South Africa | Any time before | $109 |
| Hepatitis B | CDC: most travelers | South Africa | 28 days before | $149 |
| Measles | CDC: most travelers | South Africa | Ask | $115 |
| Rabies | CDC: may be considered | South Africa | 7 days before | $419 |
| Typhoid | CDC: may be considered | South Africa | 14 days before | $174 |
Compiled by Radif Partners · Method and sources · CDC page reviewed August 25, 2026, read October 24, 2026
South Africa has one of the shorter CDC lists in Africa. Hepatitis A is listed for unvaccinated travelers aged 1 year or older and hepatitis B for unvaccinated travelers under 60; typhoid is in the "consider" group, for rural areas with poor sanitation, stays of a month or more, or visits to friends and relatives. Yellow fever vaccine is not recommended for the country, and a direct flight from the United States needs no certificate, but South Africa requires one from travelers 1 year or older arriving from countries with yellow fever risk, including airport transits or layovers of more than 12 hours there. Malaria tablets are advised only for Kruger National Park, uMkhanyakude in KwaZulu-Natal, Mopani and Vhembe in Limpopo and Ehlanzeni in Mpumalanga; Cape Town, Johannesburg and the Garden Route are outside the areas CDC lists. Cholera vaccine is not recommended. The median US county price is $109 a dose of hepatitis A, $149 a dose of hepatitis B and $174 for the typhoid shot.
A shorter list than its neighbors
Compared with Kenya, Tanzania or Ghana, the CDC page for South Africa asks for less. Hepatitis A and hepatitis B are the two travel vaccines in the "most travelers" group, besides routine vaccines with MMR. Hepatitis B applies to unvaccinated travelers younger than 60; those aged 60 or more may get it. The adult two dose series takes 28 days between shots, so a clinician can start it before the trip and finish it later.
Typhoid is where South Africa differs most from East and West Africa. Instead of "recommended for most travelers", CDC uses its consider wording: the vaccine is for people who may travel to areas with poor sanitation and unsafe water, including rural areas, spend a month or more in the country, or visit friends or relatives. A ten day route of Cape Town, the winelands and the Garden Route does not match those three situations as written; a long volunteer stay in a rural township may. The shot costs $140 to $203 on the US county lists and needs 14 days to work. Cholera vaccine is marked not recommended, because CDC reports no active transmission.
Malaria: Kruger and the northeast corner
Malaria in South Africa is a matter of a few districts. CDC lists transmission along the borders with Mozambique and Zimbabwe, and spells out where prescription medicine applies: Kruger National Park; uMkhanyakude District in KwaZulu-Natal; Mopani and Vhembe Districts in Limpopo; and Ehlanzeni District in Mpumalanga. Other districts have a few cases with no medicine advised, only bite precautions: King Cetshwayo and Zululand in KwaZulu-Natal, and Capricorn, Greater Sekhukhune and Waterberg in Limpopo. Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and the Garden Route are not in either group.
That makes the question of tablets a question of the safari. Chloroquine resistance is reported and P. falciparum causes most infections, so the four drugs CDC names are atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine and tafenoquine. Four nights in Kruger mean 13 atovaquone-proguanil tablets, about $19 at pharmacy cost, because the course starts before and runs a week after; doxycycline means 34 tablets and mefloquine 7. A prescriber picks the drug, and the count changes with every extra night in the listed districts.
Tablets for a Kruger safari
Atovaquone-proguanil for 4 days in South Africa
13 tablets
| CDC for this country | Prescription medicine for the areas listed |
| Drugs CDC lists here | Atovaquone-proguanil, Doxycycline, Mefloquine, Tafenoquine |
| Start and stop | daily, from 2 days before to 7 days after the risk area |
Yellow fever: not recommended, sometimes required
CDC's yellow fever line for South Africa is the plainest possible: the vaccine is not recommended. The entry rule is a different matter. South Africa requires a certificate from travelers aged 1 year or older arriving from countries with yellow fever risk, and the requirement includes airport transits or layovers longer than 12 hours in those countries. Two kinds of trips run into it. One is the regional loop: Victoria Falls entered from the Zambian side, Zambia being a country with risk in CDC's data, or a gorilla trek in Uganda or Rwanda before the flight south. The other is the double safari, Kenya or Tanzania first, then Cape Town.
The rule is checked at the South African border, so on such a route the shot has to be given at least 10 days before the South African border, not before the first flight. At $269 at the median of the county price lists, it adds a real line to a regional itinerary. The checker below starts from Zambia; switch it to a country with no risk to see the requirement disappear.
South Africa certificate, by previous country
Yellow fever certificate for South Africa
Required
| CDC vaccine advice | Not recommended |
| Who must show a certificate | Travelers arriving from risk countries |
| Valid from | 10 days after the shot, for life |
| Published price | $269 median, $226 to $360 |
Rabies and the rest
Rabid dogs are common in South Africa and rabies is present in some wildlife. Where the Kenya and Tanzania pages say post-bite vaccine may only be found in larger facilities, CDC notes here that rabies vaccine after an exposure is typically available throughout most of the country, which changes one of the two factors CDC asks travelers to weigh for pre-exposure shots (the other being activities with animals, such as fieldwork or long cycling trips). Two pre-exposure doses cost $838 at the median. The rabies page sets that against care after a bite.
What CDC says for South Africa, word for word
Source: CDC, Travelers' Health destination page for South Africa, page last reviewed August 25, 2026, read on October 24, 2026. The text is reproduced without change; it is available free of charge on cdc.gov. Its use here does not imply endorsement by CDC, ATSDR, HHS or the United States Government.
Travel notices: Level 1, Global Measles (May 28, 2025)
| Disease | CDC wording |
|---|---|
| Routine vaccines | Make sure you are up-to-date on all routine vaccines before every trip. Some of these vaccines include • Chickenpox (Varicella) • Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (DTaP, Tdap, or Td) • Flu (influenza) • Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) • Polio • Shingles |
| COVID-19 | All eligible travelers should be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines. Please see Your COVID-19 Vaccination for more information. |
| Hepatitis A | Recommended for unvaccinated travelers one year old or older going to South Africa. Infants 6 to 11 months old should also be vaccinated against Hepatitis A. The dose does not count toward the routine 2-dose series. Travelers allergic to a vaccine component should receive a single dose of immune globulin, which provides effective protection for up to 2 months depending on dosage given. Unvaccinated travelers who are over 40 years old, are immunocompromised, or have chronic medical conditions planning to depart to a risk area in less than 2 weeks should get the initial dose of vaccine and at the same appointment receive immune globulin. |
| Hepatitis B | Recommended for unvaccinated travelers younger than 60 years old traveling to South Africa. Unvaccinated travelers 60 years and older may get vaccinated before traveling to South Africa. |
| Typhoid | Consider getting a typhoid vaccine if you might: • Travel to areas with poor sanitation and unsafe water, including rural areas • Spend a long time in South Africa, such as a month or more • Visit friends or relatives Typhoid vaccine is not 100% effective. Practicing safe food and water habits, including washing hands at key times, can also help prevent typhoid fever. |
| Yellow Fever | CDC recommendations: Vaccine is not recommended. Country entry requirements: • Direct travel from United States: Vaccine is not required. • Travel from countries with risk for YF virus transmission: Vaccine is required for travelers ≥1 year old; this includes >12-hour airport transits or layovers in countries with risk for YF virus transmission. Updated April 23, 2025 See footnotes |
| Malaria | CDC recommends that travelers going to certain areas of South Africa take prescription medicine to prevent malaria. Depending on the medicine you take, you will need to start taking this medicine multiple days before your trip, as well as during and after your trip. Talk to your doctor about which malaria medication you should take. Transmission areas • Along the border with Mozambique and Zimbabwe • KwaZulu-Natal Province: uMkhanyakude District; the districts of King Cetshwayo and Zululand (few cases) • Limpopo Province: the districts of Mopani and Vhembe; the districts of Capricorn, Greater Sekhukhune, and Waterberg (few cases) • Mpumalanga Province: Ehlanzeni District • Kruger National Park Drug resistance • Chloroquine Species • P. falciparum (primarily) • P. malariae, P. ovale, and P. vivax (less commonly) Recommended chemoprophylaxis • KwaZulu-Natal Province (uMkhanyakude District); Limpopo Province (the districts of Mopani and Vhembe); Mpumalanga Province (Ehlanzeni District); and Kruger National Park: Atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine, tafenoquine • All other areas with malaria transmission (including the districts of King Cetshwayo and Zululand in KwaZulu-Natal Province, and the districts of Capricorn, Greater Sekhukhune, and Waterberg in Limpopo Province): No chemoprophylaxis recommended (insect bite precautions and mosquito avoidance only) Updated April 23, 2025 See footnotes |
| Rabies | Dogs infected with rabies are commonly found in South Africa. Rabies is also present in some terrestrial wildlife species. If rabies exposures occur while in South Africa, rabies vaccines are typically available throughout most of the country. Rabies pre-exposure vaccination considerations include whether travelers 1) will be performing occupational or recreational activities that increase risk for exposure to potentially rabid animals and 2) might have difficulty getting prompt access to safe post-exposure prophylaxis. Please consult with a healthcare provider to determine whether you should receive pre-exposure vaccination before travel. For more information, see country rabies status assessments. |
| Cholera | There is no longer active cholera transmission and vaccine is not recommended. |
| Measles | Cases of measles are on the rise worldwide. Travelers are at risk of measles if they have not been fully vaccinated at least two weeks prior to departure, or have not had measles in the past, and travel internationally to areas where measles is spreading. All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, including an early dose for infants 6–11 months, according to CDC’s measles vaccination recommendations for international travel. |
| Monkeypox | Monkeypox vaccination is recommended for any adult who anticipates any of the following activities during travel: • Sexual or intimate contact with a new partner • Sexual or intimate contact at a commercial sex venue, like a sex club or bathhouse • Sexual or intimate contact in exchange for money, goods, drugs, or other trade • Sexual or intimate contact in association with a large public event, such as a rave, party, or festival Get your first monkeypox vaccine at least 6 weeks before traveling if you can, or as far as possible before travel if fewer than 6 weeks before you leave. Two doses of vaccine, given 4 weeks apart, are recommended. After completing your first and second vaccine doses it takes about 2 more weeks to get the best protection against monkeypox. Whether or not you've been vaccinated, continue to take steps to reduce your risk of getting monkeypox while you are away. |