Planning a trip to Kenya and wondering if you need vaccinations before departure? We break down all mandatory and recommended vaccines for Kenya and share essential prevention tips to avoid viral and bacterial infections during your stay.

Are there mandatory vaccinations for traveling to Kenya?

There are no mandatory vaccinations for traveling to Kenya, with the exception of yellow fever vaccination in certain cases.

Yellow fever vaccination is mandatory for travelers aged one year and older arriving from a country with yellow fever transmission risk, or who have been in transit for more than 12 hours within an airport of a country where yellow fever is endemic and presents a transmission risk.

Among the affected African countries, you'll find:

• Angola,
• Benin,
• Burkina Faso,
• Burundi,
• Cameroon,
• Cape Verde,
• Central African Republic,
• Congo,
• Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),
• Côte d'Ivoire,
• Ethiopia,
• Gabon,
• Gambia,
• Ghana,
• Guinea,
• Guinea-Bissau,
• Equatorial Guinea,
• Liberia,
• Mali,
• Mauritania,
• Niger,
• Nigeria,
• Uganda,
• Rwanda,
• São Tomé and Príncipe,
• Senegal,
• Sierra Leone,
• Somalia,
• Sudan,
• Chad,
• Togo.

Among the affected South American countries, you'll find:

• Argentina,
• Bolivia,
• Brazil,
• Colombia,
• Ecuador,
• Guyana,
• Guyana,
• Panama,
• Paraguay,
• Peru,
• Suriname,
• Trinidad and Tobago,
• Venezuela.

For all travelers aged one year and older, arriving from or in transit for more than 12 hours within an airport of any of these countries, a yellow fever vaccination certificate is required upon arrival in Kenya.

Yellow fever vaccination must be administered at least 10 days before departure in adults and children over 9 months of age.

Note that a yellow fever vaccination booster is strongly recommended for:

• children vaccinated before the age of 2,
• women vaccinated during pregnancy,
• immunocompromised individuals,
• travelers who received their first injection more than 10 years ago.

What vaccinations are recommended for a trip to Kenya?

Review of routine vaccinations

Before embarking on a trip to Kenya, it is strongly recommended to update your routine vaccination record and, if necessary, to receive any required boosters. This includes diphtheria-tetanus-poliomyelitis (DTP) as well as rubella, mumps, and measles (MMR) in children. Tuberculosis vaccination is also advised.

Yellow fever vaccine

As mentioned previously, yellow fever vaccination is mandatory only for travelers arriving from a country with transmission risk (or in transit for more than 12 hours).

For all other travelers, vaccination is not mandatory but strongly recommended. Especially since several epidemic outbreaks emerged in Kenya in early 2022.

As a reminder, yellow fever is transmitted through mosquito bites from the Aedes or Haemagogus families. It is therefore important to implement preventive measures against mosquitoes during your stay (see end of article).

Vaccination schedule:

Yellow fever vaccination is administered as a single dose at least 10 days before departure in adults and children over 9 months of age.

Yellow fever vaccine cost: €80 per injection.

Hepatitis A vaccine

Hepatitis A is a viral infection transmitted through contaminated water and food. Health authorities and the Ministry of Health strongly recommend vaccination against hepatitis A when traveling to Kenya.

Vaccination is particularly recommended for people with chronic liver disease or cystic fibrosis.

Note that people who have already been infected with hepatitis A are protected. A serological test (testing for IgG antibodies) can be performed before vaccination to determine if the individual has already been infected and is protected.

Vaccination schedule:

Hepatitis A vaccination is administered as:

• One injection at least 15 days before departure in adults and children from 1 year of age.
• A booster 6 to 12 months later for lifelong protection. This second dose can be administered up to 3 to 5 years after the first injection.

Hepatitis A vaccine cost: €45 per injection for children and €50 per injection for adults.

Hepatitis B vaccine

Hepatitis B is a viral infection transmitted through sexual or blood contact. Hepatitis B vaccination is strongly recommended by health authorities for travelers planning long, repeated, and extended stays in Kenya.

As a reminder, hepatitis B vaccination is mandatory in France for all infants born from January 1, 2018 onward starting at 2 months of age.

Here too, it is possible to test for hepatitis B virus infection before vaccination.

Vaccination schedule:

Hepatitis B vaccination is administered as:

• 2 injections one month apart
• 1 booster dose given 6 months later.

Note that an accelerated vaccination schedule is possible in case of imminent departure. This involves injecting 3 doses at day 0, day 7, and day 21, with a 4th booster dose given 1 year later (adults only).

Hepatitis B vaccine cost: €35 per injection.

Good to know: There is a combined hepatitis A-hepatitis B vaccine (Twinrix adult) available for individuals over 16 years of age.

Typhoid fever vaccine

Typhoid fever is a bacterium transmitted through food and water. Typhoid vaccination is recommended by health authorities for adults and children over 2 years of age for extended stays in Kenya and for stays in areas with poor sanitary conditions.

Note that the protection provided by the typhoid vaccine is incomplete and ranges from 50% to 64% effectiveness. It should therefore be used alongside food and hygiene precaution measures (see end of article).

Vaccination schedule:

Typhoid vaccination is administered as a single injection at least 15 days before your departure date in adults and children over 2 years of age.

Typhoid vaccine cost: €60 per injection.

Rabies vaccine

Rabies is a viral infection transmitted through bites and/or contact (licking on damaged skin, scratches, etc.) with an infected animal (wild and domestic dogs and cats, monkeys, bats, etc.).

Once declared, rabies is fatal in 100% of cases. This is why rabies vaccination is strongly recommended by Kenyan authorities for travelers planning extended stays in Kenya and for travelers in isolated situations (in destinations that do not allow rapid medical care).

Furthermore, preventive vaccination does not eliminate the need for curative treatment in case of exposure, but simplifies post-exposure treatment and eliminates the need for rabies immunoglobulin, a treatment that is not always available in the country's medical centers.

Note that most rabies cases are caused by bites from domestic dogs. In this sense, it is strongly advised to avoid any contact or proximity with dogs during your stay in Kenya, whether they are domestic or wild.

Vaccination schedule:

Rabies vaccination is administered as 3 injections on day 0, day 7, and day 28 (or 21) in adults and children (as soon as they can walk).

Rabies vaccine cost: €70 per injection.

Prevention measures to know

To avoid the risk of viral and bacterial infections during a trip to Kenya, several prevention measures must be carefully implemented.

Prevention measures against mosquito-borne infections

Beyond yellow fever, other viral or parasitic infections can be transmitted by mosquito bites during a stay in Kenya. These include malaria, chikungunya, and dengue.

To avoid infection risk, it is recommended to:

• Wear long, loose, and covering clothing;
• Apply mosquito repellent to all clothing and exposed skin areas (reapply every 3 to 4 hours);
• Plan for repellents in your accommodations (anti-mosquito outlets, coils, etc.);
• Sleep under a mosquito net.

Note that it is possible to take preventive medications against malaria. Do not hesitate to consult your doctor to find the preventive treatment best suited to your stay.

In case of fever during your stay or within two months after travel, it is advised to consult a healthcare professional as soon as possible. Depending on the type of infection, other symptoms (such as muscle and joint pain, headaches, and rashes) warrant urgent medical attention.

Hygiene and food safety prevention measures

For all other types of infections (food-borne, sexual, parasitic, etc.), it is advised to apply strict hygiene measures, namely:

• Drink only bottled water;
• Avoid raw, undercooked, unpeeled, and unwashed foods (raw vegetables, rare meat, shellfish and crustaceans, etc.);
• Peel fruits and vegetables or wash them carefully with clean water;
• Avoid ice cubes, ice cream, and fresh fruit juices;
• Avoid unpasteurized or unboiled milk;
• Wash your hands regularly with soap or hand sanitizer, particularly before and after meals, after any animal contact, and after using the restroom;
• Do not swim in stagnant water;
• Do not walk barefoot outside your accommodation;
• Avoid any contact with domestic or wild animals;
• Use condoms in case of sexual intercourse.