HEALTH REGULATIONS

Before visiting Saudi Arabia you may need to get the following vaccinations or take the following precautions. It is best to seek medical advice as your individual health and your planned activities will be a factor. Seek advice 4-6 weeks before travel.

Required Vaccinations

• Passengers aged 9 months and older travelling from or having transited for more than 12 hours through a country with risk of yellow fever transmission must hold a yellow fever vaccination certificate.
• Passengers aged 1 year and older arriving for Hajj or Umrah must have a certificate of vaccination with the quadrivalent (ACYW) vaccine against meningococcal meningitis issued within 10 days prior to arrival in Saudi Arabia. If issued in conjugate form, it must be administered within 5 years prior to arrival, and if issued in polysaccharide form, it must be administered within 3 years prior to arrival. If the vaccine type is not indicated in the certificate, the certificate will be valid for 3 years.
• Passengers travelling for Hajj or Umrah from Afghanistan, Congo (Democratic Republic of), Congo (Republic of), Madagascar, Mozambique, Malawi, Pakistan or Yemen must hold proof of having received at least 1 dose of a bivalent oral polio vaccine (bOPV) or inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) within the past 12 months and at least 4 weeks prior to arrival.
• Passengers travelling for Hajj or Umrah from Algeria, Benin, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Somalia, Togo or the United States must hold proof of having received at least 1 dose of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) within the past 12 months and at least 4 weeks prior to arrival. If an IPV vaccine is not available, passengers must hold proof of having received at least 1 dose of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) within the past 6 months and at least 4 weeks prior to arrival.

Routine and Recommended Vaccinations and Medications

• It is recommended that passengers are up to date on routine vaccinations including diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DPT), measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), shingles, varicella (chickenpox), and yearly flu shots.
• A hepatitis A vaccination is recommended for passengers aged 6 months and older. Passengers allergic to a vaccine component or who are younger than 6 months are advised to receive a single dose of immune globulin.
• A hepatitis B vaccination is recommended.
• Malaria may be a risk in Saudi Arabia. Passengers travelling to certain areas may need to take anti-malarial medication. For further information, please visit the Malaria in Saudi Arabia.
• Note: Chloroquine is NOT an effective anti-malarial medication in Saudi Arabia.
• A rabies vaccination is recommended only for passengers working directly with wildlife.
• A typhoid vaccination is recommended for most passengers, especially those staying with friends or relatives, or visiting smaller cities or rural areas.

General Advice

• Leptospirosis is present in Saudi Arabia. Passengers are advised to avoid contaminated water and soil.
• Schistosomiasis is present in Saudi Arabia. Passengers are advised to avoid contaminated water.
• Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic fever is present in Saudi Arabia. Passengers are advised to avoid bug bites.
• Dengue is present in Saudi Arabia. Passengers are advised to avoid bug bites.
• Leishmaniasis is present in Saudi Arabia. Passengers are advised to avoid bug bites.
• Rift River Valley Fever is present in Saudi Arabia. Passengers are advised to avoid animals and bug bites.
• Hantavirus is present in Saudi Arabia. Passengers are advised to avoid rodents and areas where they live, and to avoid sick people.
• Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. (MERS) is present in Saudi Arabia. Passengers are advised to avoid sick people.
• Tuberculosis is present in Saudi Arabia. Passengers are advised to avoid sick people.

For more detailed information, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).