Travel Vaccines and Advice for Egypt

• Typhoid – Salmonella Typhi causes typhoid, a severe infection transmitted via contaminated food and water. Vaccination is recommended for travelers and those with elevated infection risks. Practicing proper hygiene and safe food handling can also reduce the likelihood of contracting typhoid.
• Hepatitis A – Hepatitis A spreads through contaminated food, water, and close contact. Protect yourself by getting vaccinated with the hepatitis A vaccine and maintaining proper hygiene. Vaccination is a critical step in preventing this contagious liver infection, according to health authorities.
• Polio – Polio, a viral disease impacting the nervous system, is primarily transmitted through fecal-oral contact. Vaccination is the primary safeguard against polio. The vaccine triggers immune responses that build immunity and form a vital part of the global strategy to eliminate this debilitating disease.
• Rabies – Preventing rabies involves avoiding contact with infected animals and ensuring timely vaccination. The rabies vaccine is a critical tool, offering protection through post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and preemptive vaccination for high-risk individuals like travelers.
• Hepatitis B – Hepatitis B, a liver infection, is transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids. Prevention includes practicing safe behaviors, but the cornerstone of protection is hepatitis B vaccination. This vaccine activates the immune system, generating antibodies that offer potent and enduring defense against the virus.
• Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) – Measles, mumps, and rubella are highly contagious diseases with potentially severe consequences. Preventing their transmission is possible through vaccination with the MMR vaccine. This two-dose vaccine not only safeguards individuals but also helps create herd immunity, reducing the risk of outbreaks within communities.

Mosquitoes are the top bug bite risk for travelers in Egypt, especially around the Nile Delta and anywhere with standing or slow-moving water. They bite during the day and at night. Use one with at least 20% DEET or picaridin, and reapply as directed on the label.

Ticks turn up in rural and agricultural areas, particularly if your trip includes hiking, camping, or time around livestock. Check your skin after being outdoors and remove any tick you find right away. Sand flies are small enough to get through a standard mosquito net. Look for a net rated for sand flies specifically.

Permethrin-treated clothing adds a layer of protection against both mosquitoes and ticks. Treat your gear before you leave, since retreating it mid-trip isn’t practical. Passport Health’s travel specialists can walk you through which repellents and treatments make sense for your specific itinerary.

Travelers’ diarrhea, hepatitis A and typhoid are the most common food and water illnesses reported in Egypt. All three trace back to what you eat and drink.

Stick to bottled or purified water, and skip ice unless you know it was made from purified water. Skip swimming or wading in the Nile and its irrigation canals as well. That untreated freshwater carries risks as well.

Choose food that’s fully cooked and served hot. Fresh fruit and vegetables are fine if you peel them yourself, since raw produce rinsed in tap water is a common source of stomach trouble. Street food in Cairo and elsewhere can be excellent — stick to stalls with high turnover and a visible line of local customers.

If travelers’ diarrhea does catch up with you, an antibiotic prescribed before you leave can turn a multi-day illness into a single bad afternoon. Ask a Passport Health specialist about a travelers’ diarrhea kit before your trip.

At high altitudes, altitude sickness can strike, causing symptoms like headaches and nausea due to oxygen deprivation. Preventive measures include gradual ascent, hydration, and medication like acetazolamide. If symptoms develop, swift descent to lower altitudes, rest, and medical evaluation if necessary are crucial for recovery and safety.

• African Tick-Bite Fever – This infection spreads through the bite of an infected tick, most often in areas with livestock or wildlife. The CDC lists it as a risk for travelers to Egypt, particularly those spending time on farms or in rural areas. Wearing long pants tucked into socks in scrubby or grassy terrain cuts down your exposure.
• Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever – Spread by tick bites or contact with the blood or tissue of an infected animal, most often livestock. Egyptian studies have found the virus in ticks carried on camels imported from Sudan and Somalia. Exposure centers on livestock markets and abattoirs. Avoid handling animals or fresh meat there.
• Dengue – Dengue is a mosquito-borne virus spread by Aedes mosquitoes, which bite during the day rather than at night. Dengue is a risk throughout Egypt. Daytime repellent use matters as much as evening precautions. Symptoms include high fever, joint pain and rash, with no specific treatment beyond rest and fluids.
• Hantavirus – Spread by breathing in dust contaminated with the urine or droppings of infected rodents, most often in rural or agricultural buildings. The CDC lists it as a risk for travelers to Egypt who spend time in rodent-prone spaces like barns or storage sheds.
• Leishmaniasis – Spread by the bite of an infected sand fly, an insect small enough to slip through standard mosquito netting. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is well documented in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, where sand flies are most active from spring through fall. A finer-mesh net rated for sand flies offers better protection during that stretch.
• Leptospirosis – Spread through contact with soil or fresh water contaminated by infected animal urine, including the Nile and its irrigation canals. The CDC lists it as a risk for travelers to Egypt, especially anyone wading, swimming or working around agricultural waterways. Cover open cuts before contact with untreated water, and dry off promptly after.
• Melioidosis – Spread through contact with contaminated soil or fresh water, particularly during and after heavy rain. The CDC specifically flags northern Egypt as a risk area for this bacterial infection. Anyone with an open wound should avoid muddy or floodwater conditions there, and bandage cuts before they’re exposed.
• Rift Valley Fever – Spread by mosquito bites or direct contact with the blood or tissue of infected livestock. Egypt’s Nile Delta saw a major outbreak in 1977 that infected tens of thousands of people, with smaller flare-ups since. Avoid contact with sick or dead animals, and skip fresh meat or milk from informal roadside vendors.
• Schistosomiasis – Spread when parasites in contaminated fresh water burrow through skin during swimming, wading or bathing. The parasite is found in the Nile and the irrigation canals running through Egypt’s farmland. Stick to chlorinated pools and bottled water.
• Tuberculosis (TB) – Spread through the air when someone with an active infection coughs, speaks or sings nearby. The CDC lists TB as a risk for travelers to Egypt, with extended stays and close contact with local populations raising exposure. Long-term volunteers and healthcare workers face the highest risk.
• Zika – Spread primarily through mosquito bites, from the same day-biting Aedes mosquitoes responsible for dengue. The CDC lists Zika as a risk in Egypt. Pregnant travelers face the most serious consequences since the virus can pass to an unborn baby. Anyone pregnant or trying to become pregnant should talk to a doctor before traveling.