Plan ahead for safe and healthy travel
Once you confirm your destination,
use this CDC webpage to learn about disease risk, health alerts, and required or recommended vaccines for that geographic area.
It may take several months to receive the adequate number and type of vaccinations so it's important to contact a
local travel clinic or your health care provider as soon as possible. When using a travel clinic, contact the individual clinic in advance to see which travel vaccines they provide and if they can provide overall travelers' health information.
Another good tool is this
brief questionnaire, which will help cover your bases to ensure safe and healthy international travel.
In general, to reduce the risk of infection abroad, travelers must:
- Protect themselves from insects.
- Ensure the quality of their food and drinking water.
- Be knowledgeable about potential diseases in the region to be visited.
Yellow fever
People ages 9 months and older should be vaccinated against yellow fever if they are traveling to, or living in, areas at risk of yellow fever in
Africa and
South America. Only certain clinics can provide yellow fever vaccination and related travel documentation. Visit the CDC's
Yellow Fever Vaccination Clinics in Oregon webpage to find a clinic near you.
Vaccinations against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, polio, hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) meningitis and invasive disease are routinely administered in the United States, usually in childhood.
People who are not protected against these diseases should receive vaccinations against them—whether or not international travel is planned.
Useful links and resources