Tanzania travel vaccinations and health advice

Malaria risk is high in all areas of Tanzania below 1,800 metres, including Zanzibar. Tablets are usually recommended for those areas, alongside strict bite avoidance from dusk to dawn. Above 1,800 metres, malaria is not considered a risk, but mosquito precautions still matter because other infections are spread by daytime-biting mosquitoes. Hepatitis A is commonly recommended for previously unvaccinated travellers, as it spreads through contaminated food and water. Typhoid vaccination is also commonly considered, especially where food hygiene may be uncertain, for longer trips, children, frequent travel or visits to family and friends. Your tetanus, diphtheria and polio protection should be up to date under the UK schedule. Yellow fever vaccination is not generally recommended for Tanzania because exposure is considered low. The certificate rule is different: you may need proof of yellow fever vaccination if you arrive from, or transit for more than 12 hours through, a country with yellow fever risk. Rabies is present in domestic animals, and information for Zanzibar is limited. Pre-travel rabies vaccination is worth discussing for children, runners, cyclists, longer stays, animal work and routes where prompt treatment after a bite may be difficult. Dengue, chikungunya and Zika are also relevant mosquito-borne risks. There is no simple tablet for these, so daytime repellent use is part of the plan. Kilimanjaro reaches 5,895 metres, so altitude illness deserves serious attention if you are climbing. Tanzania also has schistosomiasis risk, so avoid swimming, wading or washing in untreated freshwater such as lakes, rivers and streams.