Vaccines for Thailand
The checker at the top is already set on Thailand: add the countries before or after it to see the CDC list, the yellow fever rule at the Thai border and the price of each shot.
Travel vaccines CDC lists for most or some travelers on this trip
5 vaccines
plus 2 to discuss and routine vaccines up to date
| Yellow fever | Required only if you arrive from a risk country (Thailand) |
| Malaria | Prescription tablets for areas of Thailand |
| Longest lead time | 28 days before departure (Hepatitis B, 2 doses (Heplisav-B)) |
| Published price, these vaccines | $1,405 median, $1,215 to $1,550 |
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 | Thailand | 10 days before | $269 |
| Hepatitis A | CDC: most travelers | Thailand | Any time before | $109 |
| Hepatitis B | CDC: most travelers | Thailand | 28 days before | $149 |
| Measles | CDC: most travelers | Thailand | Ask | $115 |
| Typhoid | CDC: most travelers | Thailand | 14 days before | $174 |
| Japanese encephalitis | CDC: some travelers | Thailand | 14 days before | $375 |
| Chikungunya | CDC: may be considered | Thailand | Any time before | $326 |
| Rabies | CDC: may be considered | Thailand | 7 days before | $419 |
Compiled by Radif Partners · Method and sources · CDC page reviewed October 8, 2026, read October 24, 2026
CDC lists hepatitis A, typhoid and, for unvaccinated travelers younger than 60, hepatitis B for most travelers to Thailand, plus routine vaccines with measles (MMR) checked before departure. Japanese encephalitis is listed for some travelers, mainly long stays and rural trips. Rabies and chikungunya are in the consider group, and cholera vaccine is not recommended because CDC reports no active transmission. Malaria tablets are advised only for the provinces that border Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia (except Buri Ram) and Malaysia; Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Koh Samui have rare cases with bite precautions only, and the Krabi islands and Pattaya none. Thailand asks no yellow fever certificate on a direct flight from the US, but does from travelers 9 months or older coming from a risk country, layovers over 12 hours included. In the UK, hepatitis A and typhoid are free at a GP surgery. In the US, the median county price is $109 a dose of hepatitis A, $174 for the typhoid shot and $149 a dose of hepatitis B.
The standard Thailand list, line by line
The CDC page for Thailand puts three travel vaccines in its "most travelers" group. Hepatitis A is listed for unvaccinated travelers aged one year or more, typhoid for most travelers, and hepatitis B for unvaccinated travelers under 60 (those 60 and older may get it). Street food in Bangkok, shakes on Khao San Road and ice in a beach bar in Koh Phangan are the kind of exposure the first two are about. Hepatitis B spreads through blood and body fluids, so tattoos, a scooter accident treated in a local hospital or a new partner are the situations it covers.
Timing is short for most of this list. One dose of hepatitis A before the flight is enough for the trip, with the second 180 days or more later back home. The typhoid shot has to be given at least 14 days ahead. Hepatitis B is the slow one: the two dose adult series takes 28 days between shots, and the three dose series runs over 180 days, so a clinician may start it and finish it after the return.
At the US county health departments that publish self-pay prices, both doses of hepatitis A plus the typhoid shot come to $375 to $560 with their visit fees (median $427).
Hepatitis A, typhoid and hepatitis B for Thailand
Self-pay cost of these travel vaccines
$724
| Hepatitis A, 2 doses | $217 |
| Typhoid, injection, 1 dose | $174 |
| Hepatitis B, 2 doses (Heplisav-B), 2 doses | $298 |
Jabs for Thailand on the NHS: free or paid
UK travelers usually search for "jabs for Thailand", and the answer splits in two. The NHS travel vaccinations page says: "You can get free NHS vaccinations, after completing a risk assessment form, at a GP surgery". Hepatitis A and typhoid, the two food and water vaccines of the CDC list, are on that free list, as is the polio booster, given as part of the combined Td/IPV vaccination. Hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis and rabies fall under "Vaccinations not routinely available on the NHS", so a private clinic or pharmacy sets the price, and there is no official price list to compare against. The NHS asks travelers to seek advice 4 to 6 weeks before departure, which leaves room for the hepatitis B and Japanese encephalitis series. Malaria tablets for travel are not free on the NHS either.
Thailand jabs: free at the GP or paid
Travel jabs for Thailand, NHS or private
2 free on the NHS
| Free at a GP surgery | Hepatitis A, Typhoid |
| Paid | Hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, Rabies |
| Book | 4 to 6 weeks before you travel |
Malaria sits along three borders
Most holiday routes in Thailand stay out of the area where CDC advises tablets. The prescription advice covers the provinces that border Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia and Malaysia, especially their rural forest and forest fringe areas, with Buri Ram Province set apart: it has rare cases and no tablets are advised there. Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Koh Phangan, Koh Samui and Phuket have rare to few cases, and CDC advises insect bite precautions only. The islands of Krabi Province (Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Yao Noi, Koh Yao Yai) and Pattaya City have no transmission at all.
For a jungle trek near the Burmese border or a stay in the forested south near Malaysia, CDC lists atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline and tafenoquine. Mefloquine is not on the Thai list, because parasites there resist both chloroquine and mefloquine. For ten days in a border province, atovaquone-proguanil means 19 tablets, about $28 at the price pharmacies pay, and doxycycline 40 tablets because it continues four weeks after leaving the area. The prescriber chooses with your medical history in hand.
Malaria tablets for a Thai border province
Atovaquone-proguanil for 10 days in Thailand
19 tablets
| CDC for this country | Prescription medicine for the areas listed |
| Drugs CDC lists here | Atovaquone-proguanil, Doxycycline, Tafenoquine |
| Start and stop | daily, from 2 days before to 7 days after the risk area |
Yellow fever when Thailand comes after Africa or South America
CDC does not recommend the yellow fever vaccine for Thailand, and a traveler flying in from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada or Australia shows no certificate. The rule only bites on combined trips: Thailand asks a certificate from travelers 9 months or older arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever, and a layover of more than 12 hours in such a country counts. A safari in Tanzania followed by Phuket, or a long connection in Addis Ababa, is the typical case. The certificate becomes valid 10 days after the shot, which costs $269 at the median US price.
Japanese encephalitis, rabies, chikungunya and cholera
Japanese encephalitis is a "some travelers" line: CDC recommends it for people moving to Thailand, staying a month or more in affected areas or going often, and says to consider it for shorter trips with rural visits, hiking, camping or rooms without air conditioning, screens or bed nets. At $375 a dose, two doses are needed. Rabies is in the consider group: CDC notes that dogs with rabies are sometimes found and that rabies vaccines are typically available throughout most of the country after a bite, so the question for a clinician is the type of activity and how far you will be from care. Two pre-exposure doses cost $838 at the median. CDC reports elevated chikungunya risk and says the vaccine ($326 a dose) may be considered for stays of 6 months or more. Cholera vaccine is not recommended for Thailand. More detail sits on the Japanese encephalitis page and the UK travel jabs page.
What CDC says for Thailand, word for word
Source: CDC, Travelers' Health destination page for Thailand, page last reviewed October 8, 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 Thailand. 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 Thailand. Unvaccinated travelers 60 years and older may get vaccinated before traveling to Thailand. |
| Typhoid | Recommended for most travelers. 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 ≥9 months 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 Thailand 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 • Primarily the provinces that border Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia (rare cases in Buri Ram Province), and Malaysia (especially in the rural forest and forest-fringe areas of these provinces) • Rare to few cases in other parts of Thailand, including the cities of Bangkok (the capital), Chiang Mai, and Chiang Rai, or on the islands of Koh Pha Ngan, Koh Samui, or Phuket • No malaria transmission on the islands of Krabi Province (Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Yao Noi, Koh Yao Yai) or in Pattaya City Drug resistance • Chloroquine and mefloquine Species • P. vivax (80%) • P. falciparum (<20%) • P. knowlesi, P. malariae, and P. ovale (rare) Recommended chemoprophylaxis • Provinces that border Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia (except Buri Ram Province), and Malaysia: Atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, tafenoquine • All other areas with malaria transmission (including Buri Ram province): No chemoprophylaxis recommended (insect bite precautions and mosquito avoidance only) Updated April 23, 2025 See footnotes |
| Japanese Encephalitis | Recommended for travelers who • Are moving to an area with Japanese encephalitis to live • Spend long periods of time, such as a month or more, in areas with Japanese encephalitis • Frequently travel to areas with Japanese encephalitis Consider vaccination for travelers • Spending less than a month in areas with Japanese encephalitis but will be doing activities that increase risk of infection, such as visiting rural areas, hiking or camping, or staying in places without air conditioning, screens, or bed nets • Going to areas with Japanese encephalitis who are uncertain of their activities or how long they will be there Not recommended for travelers planning short-term travel to urban areas or travel to areas with no clear Japanese encephalitis season. |
| Rabies | Dogs infected with rabies are sometimes found in Thailand. If rabies exposures occur while in Thailand, 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. |
| Chikungunya | There is elevated chikungunya risk in Thailand. Chikungunya vaccination may be considered for people traveling or moving to this location if they are planning to stay for an extended period of time (for example, 6 months or more). |
| 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. |