Vaccinations for a safari in Tanzania: notes

Schritt für Schritt

1. Fix your route and dates, including stopovers and Zanzibar
2. Check the current position with the FDFA (EDA) and FOPH (BAG)
3. Book travel-medicine advice with your GP or a travel-medicine centre
4. Take your vaccination record to the consultation
5. Have recommended vaccinations started in good time
6. Keep proof ready for the trip and make copies

Checkliste

• Vaccination record to hand and complete
• Travel-medicine appointment several weeks before departure
• Position checked with the FDFA and FOPH
• Route including side stops given to the doctor
• Yellow fever question clarified for your route
• Malaria question discussed separately
• Copies of proof in your luggage and digitally

Why there is no fixed list

Which vaccinations you need depends on several factors. Your existing protection, your age, pre-existing conditions, the length of the trip and the exact route all matter. Someone spending just one week in northern Tanzania starts from a different position than someone travelling for several weeks and flying on afterwards.

On top of that, countries can change their entry requirements. What applied a year ago may no longer apply today. So do not rely on forums or on reports from acquaintances, but on current official sources and on your doctor.

Good advice also takes your everyday life into account. If you take medication regularly, have a chronic illness or are planning a pregnancy, say so explicitly. The same goes for children and older travel companions, for whom different considerations often apply than for healthy adults.

Where to find the current position

For Swiss travellers the first points of contact are the FDFA with its travel advice and the FOPH with its vaccination recommendations. There is also the platform safetravel.ch, which brings together travel-medicine information. Check the current position with the FDFA and FOPH shortly before booking and again before departure.

The embassy of the destination country also provides information on entry requirements. Note the date and source of your research. In the video call we discuss with you which points matter for your route, but we do not give medical advice.

Never compare information from just one source. Official bodies, travel medicine and your GP complement each other. If the answers differ, ask and have the differences explained, rather than choosing the most convenient answer.

Routine vaccinations and trip-specific topics

For any long-haul trip, doctors first check the routine vaccinations, for example tetanus and diphtheria. If boosters are missing, they can usually be caught up without fuss. That makes sense at home too and is not a safari special case.

Depending on the trip, topics such as hepatitis A, typhoid or rabies are also discussed. Whether a vaccination is an option for you is decided by travel medicine in a personal conversation. With rabies, for example, it matters how far away the nearest medical care would be.

Countries outside Tanzania also play a role if you extend your trip. If you plan a beach stay or a stop in a neighbouring country after the safari, tell the consultation early so that nothing is overlooked.

Yellow fever and entry

Yellow fever is often mentioned for trips to Africa, because requirements can differ by country. Check entry requirements before booking. This also applies to onward travel, for example if you fly from Tanzania on to Kenya, Zanzibar or another country.

So check the whole route, not just the first destination. Which rules apply to you is something to clarify with the FDFA, FOPH and your travel medicine service. Vaccination appointments need some lead time, so ask early so that the appointment does not become a bottleneck.

The rules can also change shortly before departure. So check again a few weeks before the flight whether anything has changed on entry or recommendations. It takes only a few minutes and prevents nasty surprises at the airport.

Timetable and documents

Start the consultation well before departure, so that multi-part vaccinations still have room. An appointment is worthwhile at short notice too, but not everything can then still be done. Take your vaccination record with you.

Keep proof in your hand luggage and photograph it. In the consultation also talk about your travel first-aid kit, sun protection, mosquito protection and what to do in case of diarrhoea. These points are as much a part of a safari as the question of vaccinations.

Plan your travel first-aid kit right away. Travel medicine advises on what makes sense for your route, for example for diarrhoea, pain or allergies. It is best to carry medication in your hand luggage, together with a list of the active ingredients.