Make sure to check Travel Notices in Effect for this area.

Recommended Vaccinations and Preventative Medications:

• Hepatitis A or immune globulin (IG)
• Hepatitis B
• Malaria
• Rabies
• Typhoid vaccine
• Yellow Fever
• As needed, booster doses for tetanus-diphtheria and measles.

Required Vaccinations:

• For detailed information, see Comprehensive Yellow Fever Vaccination Requirements.

 

Health Risks:

The preventive measures you need to take while traveling in the Middle East depend on the areas you visit and the length of time you stay. You should observe the precautions listed in this document in most areas of this region. However, in highly developed areas of Israel, you should observe health precautions similar to those that would apply while traveling in the United States.

Humans get malaria from the bite of a mosquito infected with the parasite. Prevent this serious disease by seeing your health care provider for a prescription antimalarial drug and by protecting yourself against mosquito bites. Your risk of malaria may be high in these countries, including some cities. Travelers to malaria-risk areas, including infants, children, and former residents of the Middle East, should take an antimalarial drug. Travelers to some areas of Iran, Iraq, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, and Yemen may be at risk for malaria.

For additional information on malaria risk and prevention, see Malaria Information for Travelers to the Middle East.

• Chloroquine is the recommended antimalarial drug for Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.
• Travelers to Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen should take one of the following antimalarial drugs: (listed alphabetically): atovaquone/proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine, or primaquine (in special circumstances).
• In Oman, the risk of malaria is in the Musandam Province only; because the risk is very limited, no antimalarial drug is needed in this area.
There is no risk of malaria in Bahrain, Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

Yellow Fever:

There is no risk for yellow fever in the Middle East. A certificate of yellow fever vaccination may be required for entry into certain of these countries if you are coming from countries in South America or sub-Saharan Africa. For detailed information, see Comprehensive Yellow Fever Vaccination Requirements.

Food and Waterborne Diseases:

Food and Waterbornee diseases are the primary cause of illness in travelers. Travelers’ diarrhea can be caused by viruses, bacteria, or parasites, which are found throughout the Middle East and can contaminate food or water. Infections may cause diarrhea and vomiting (E. coli, Salmonella, cholera, and parasites), fever (typhoid fever and toxoplasmosis), or liver damage (hepatitis).

Other Disease Risks:

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is reported throughout the area; visceral leishmaniasis, although rare throughout most of the area, is common in central Iraq, in the southwest of Saudi Arabia, in the northwest of Syria, in Turkey (southeast Anatolia only), and in the west of Yemen. Many cases of leishmaniasis have been reported in the US military in Iraq. A rise in West Nile fever has been seen recently in Israel. Outbreaks of dengue occurred in Saudi Arabia and Yemen in 2002. Protecting yourself against insect bites will help to prevent these diseases.

Other infections that tend to occur more often in longer-term travelers (or immigrants from this region) include tuberculosis (Yemen), lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis (Yemen), hepatitis B, and schistosomiasis (Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria) To prevent schistosomiasis, do not swim in fresh water (except in well-chlorinated swimming pools) in these countries. (For more information, please see Swimming and Recreational Water Precautions.) Polio has resurfaced in Yemen. Pilgrims to the Hajj in Saudi Arabia have acquired meningococcal infections caused by serotypes A and W-135, as well as influenza.

 

What you need to bring with you:

• Long-sleeved shirt, long pants, and a hat to wear whenever possible while outside, to prevent illnesses carried by insects
• Insect repellent containing DEET.
• Bed nets treated with Permethrin.
• Flying-insect spray to help clear rooms of mosquitoes. The product should contain a pyrethroid insecticide; these insecticides quickly kill flying insects, including mosquitoes.
• Portable water filters to filter or purify water. See Preventing Cryptosporidiosis: A Guide to Water Filters and Bottled Water for more detailed information.
• Sun Block, sunglasses, and a hat for protection from harmful effects of UV sun rays.
• Prescription medications: make sure you have enough to last during your trip, as well as a copy of the prescription(s) or letter from your health-care provider on office stationery explaining that the medication has been prescribed for you.
• Always carry medications in their original containers, in your carry-on luggage.
• Be sure to bring along over-the-counter antidiarrheal medication (e.g., bismuth subsalicylate, loperamide) and an antibiotic prescribed by your doctor to self-treat moderate to severe diarrhea.
• New security measures were implemented on August 10, 2006, regarding what passengers may carry onto the airplane. Up-to-date information may be obtained at the Transportation Security Administration’s Guidance For Airline Passengers Fact Sheet and Frequently Asked Questions.

To stay healthy on your trip, make sure to:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water or, if hands are not visibly soiled, use a waterless, alcohol-based hand rub to remove potentially infectious materials from your skin and help prevent disease transmission.
• In developing countries, drink only filtered water, or carbonated (bubbly) drinks in cans or bottles. Avoid tap water, fountain drinks, and ice cubes.
• Take your malaria prevention medication before, during, and after travel, as directed. (See your health care provider for a prescription.)
• To prevent fungal and parasitic infections, keep feet clean and dry, and do not go barefoot, even on beaches.
• Protect yourself from mosquito insect bites:
  • Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and hats when outdoors.
  • Use insect repellents that contain DEET (N, N-diethylmethyltoluamide).
  • If no screening or air conditioning is available: use a pyrethroid-containing spray in living and sleeping areas during evening and night-time hours; sleep under bed nets, preferably insecticide-treated ones.
  • If you are visiting friends and relatives in your home country, see additional special information about malaria prevention in Recent Immigrants to the U.S. from Malarious Countries Returning 'Home' to Visit Friends and Relatives on the CDC Malaria site.

Do not:

• Do not eat food purchased from street vendors or food that is not well cooked to reduce risk of infection (i.e., hepatitis A and typhoid fever).
• Do not drink beverages with ice.
• Avoid dairy products, unless you know they have been pasteurized.
• Do not swim in fresh water to avoid exposure to certain water-borne diseases such as schistosomiasis. (For more information, please see Swimming and Recreational Water Precautions.)
• Do not handle animals, especially monkeys, dogs, and cats, to avoid bites and serious diseases (including rabies and plague). Consider pre-exposure rabies vaccination if you might have extensive unprotected outdoor exposure in rural areas. For more information, please see Animal-Associated Hazards.
• Do not share needles for tattoos, body piercing or injections to prevent infections such as HIV and hepatitis B.
• Avoid poultry farms, bird markets, and other places where live poultry is raised or kept.

 

More detailed information on this region is available at www cdc.gov