Vaccines for Thailand: mandatory and recommended

Updated: July 14, 2024

Mandatory and recommended vaccines for Thailand, how long before you get them, where to go to get them and other health recommendations.

When you plan a trip like this, it is normal for you to wonder what vaccines are going to be required or would be advisable to get.

In addition to a series of precautions that must be taken regarding diseases, especially in tropical countries.

This is an indicative guide, but keep in mind that it will be the vaccination staff who will tell you exactly which ones you need based on your medical history, the vaccines you have already had before and your plans in Thailand.

What vaccines do I need to go to Thailand? (mandatory vaccinations)

To travel to Thailand it is only Yellow fever vaccine mandatory If you travel from one of the 47 countries (34 in Africa and 13 in America) where it is endemic, according to the WHO.

Although in Thailand at this moment they are asking people from 45 countries for the vaccine that you can see the list here.

The countries in America where there is yellow fever are:

• Argentina
• Bolivia
• Brazil
• Colombia
• Ecuador
• French Guiana
• Guyana
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Suriname
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Venezuela

That is to say, if you travel from Spain, Mexico, Chile, Uruguay or any other country not mentioned in the list above, you will not need the yellow fever vaccine.

Unless you have traveled to a place where there is yellow fever or have had a stopover in one of those countries. In that case, you need to get vaccinated.

For yellow fever, memories were previously given, that is, it was necessary to give another dose after a few years. Today it is a vaccine that is given only once in a lifetime.

Recommended vaccines

There are also a series of vaccines that are recommended by Spanish Association of Vaccinology, some are vaccines that they give you when you are little.

But if you don't have them, you should put them on:

1. MMR

This vaccine covers 3 diseases: measles, rubella and mumps.

The vaccine is usually given to children, if you do not have it you will be given 2 doses that you have to wait 30 days between each one.

2. Tetanus – diphtheria – whooping cough

These are usually given every 10 years, look in your vaccination record to find out if you have had it and how long ago.

3. Hepatitis A

This is another vaccine that is generally given to children in Spain, regardless of whether they travel or not.

It is a viral disease that affects the liver and is transmitted by contaminated food or water and sometimes by sexual transmission.

The hepatitis A vaccine is given in 2 doses.

4. Typhoid fever

It is an infectious disease that is spread through contaminated food or water and unhygienic bathrooms.

There are different vaccine guidelines for typhoid fever, for travelers the most common is to give 1 dose at least 2 weeks before travel. The duration is 2 years.

Other vaccines for Thailand

Then there is another list of vaccines that are recommended depending on what you are going to do on your trip, age or medical history:

1. Anger

This disease is transmitted by the bite of an infected mammal (including humans).

In Spain they recommend this vaccine to travel to Thailand, only in case you go to rural areas or have contact with animals.

However, I think they don't take into account that in Thailand there are many stray dogs everywhere and monkeys in city parks.

So, from my point of view, the risk of rabies is a real thing, regardless of whether or not you go to a rural area.

Furthermore, rabies is extremely dangerous, if any symptoms appear, the only thing left is to say goodbye to your loved ones. Historically, there has only been one person with rabies symptoms who survived.

The rabies vaccine is 2 doses that must be allowed 2 weeks between doses and lasts 1 year.

In case you do not get vaccinated, if you are unlucky enough to be bitten by a mammal (stray or wild), you will need to urgently go to the hospital to get the vaccine.

2. Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a viral disease that affects the liver with a very high mortality rate. It is transmitted through blood and other body fluids, during pregnancy and by sexual transmission.

In Spain it is usually given to children or adolescents, if you don't have it it is quite convenient to do it even if you are not traveling. The vaccine is 3 doses and if you don't have hepatitis A, they usually give them together, this way you save a puncture.

3. Japanese Encephalitis

This disease is transmitted by infected mosquitoes, they usually spread it if you travel to somewhere where there may be many mosquitoes.

Unless you are going to a city like Bangkok on a business trip, you are going to need it, even if you visit a park in Bangkok or take a nearby excursion it will be enough to find a lot of mosquitoes.

In this case, 2 doses are given and 2 weeks pass between them.

4. Anger

Cholera is spread by water, food or people who have the bacteria and the main symptom is diarrhea.

After living in Thailand for 3 years, I have never heard of any outbreaks of cholera, but some vaccination centers in Spain recommend it.

5. Flu and Pneumococcal

These vaccines are generally recommended for older people.

Where can I get vaccinated?

In Spain you must go to the International Vaccination Center by appointment, here you have the list of centers in all Spanish provinces.

In theory you can make an appointment by phone, but depending on the center they don't answer, at least that's what happened to me. A more practical alternative is to ask for the online appointment in this link.

If you are traveling from another country you will need to find out where the International Vaccination Center (or a similar name) is in your city.

Here are some lists in other countries that may help you:

• Argentina: here is the list of vaccination centers of yellow fever.
• Chili: he list of international vaccinations for travelers.
• Colombia: These are the traveler vaccination centers all over the country.
• Peru: he list of the Ministry of Health with yellow fever vaccination sites.

How long before should I get vaccinated?

I recommend you look at it in advance, if you can, make time to start getting vaccinated 2 months before, especially if you are going to get the MMR, if not a little more than 1 month will be enough.

Because there are several things you have to take into account:

1. Some vaccines to go to Thailand require more than one dose, such as those for hepatitis A and B, rabies and MMR.
2. It should be left between doses, between 1 week and 1 month, depending on the vaccine.
3. There are vaccines that cannot be given together due to interaction issues.
4. Several days should pass after you receive the vaccines so that you are protected. This is important in the case of yellow fever, which is the mandatory vaccine and you need to give it to yourself at least 10 days before arrival to the land of smiles.

What to bring to the vaccination?

For the vaccination you will need to bring your identity document and the vaccination card where the vaccines you have been given throughout your life are recorded, so the center will know which one you should get and which ones you already have.

If you have a health problem and you have a medical report that you think is appropriate to bring, because at the vaccination center they will also give you health recommendations and prescriptions for various medications that they recommend including in the first aid kit (at least in Spain).

International Vaccination Certificate

The international vaccination certificate They will only give it to you in case you need to be vaccinated against yellow fever which is the mandatory vaccine to enter Thailand.

In the event that you need the yellow fever vaccine, but for some medical reason you cannot get it at the vaccination center, you will have to ask them for a proof so you can travel.

For the other vaccines, they will give you a paper with the vaccination plan and they will write down the vaccines in your record for your own record, but at the airport they will not ask you for anything related to these vaccines.

Is the COVID vaccine mandatory?

No, as of today, the COVID vaccine or the PCR test are no longer mandatory to travel to Thailand.

Health precautions in Thailand

1. Dog and monkey bites

When traveling to Thailand, always keep a safe distance with wild animals to avoid bites.

If any mammal bites you you will need to go to the emergency room because there is a risk of contagion of rabies.

Be careful with stray dogs and especially when you go hiking or trekking.

In that case, I recommend you always carry a stick with you, With this I am not suggesting hitting them or anything like that., the stick is used to scare away aggressive dogs.

Something very important is that never turn your back on a dog that barks at you angrily because it will bite you. Although most stray dogs are not aggressive.

If you can't contain your love for animals and want to pet a stray dog, do it only if you know how to read a dog's signs and carry an alcohol-based gel with you to then sanitize your hands.

Regarding monkeys, don't trust them. Lemurs or gibbons are very shy and it is difficult for you to have contact, but macaques are very trusting and the stick is not a deterrent, they are very smart.

2. Snakes

In Thailand there are several species of poisonous snakes: cobras and crotalos which in English are pit vipers.

A snake bite is very serious and can require limb amputation, severe complications, or death.

There is a golden rule in case of a venomous snake bite: go to a hospital urgently within an hour.

Just be careful especially when hiking or trekking and keep your distance.

The vast majority of snakes are usually shy animals that flee and are not willing to lose their precious venom, but if they feel threatened they will use it.

3.- Sea

Don't touch anything in the sea, because you don't know which animals can be poisonous.

Also keep your distance because there are fish that seem harmless and can attack, an example is the titan triggerfish, mothers are very protective of their offspring.

4.- Dengue

In Thailand mosquitoes can transmit several diseases, for some there are vaccines (listed above) for others like dengue there is nothing. Therefore, the best is avoid mosquito bites.

If you are going hiking always carry repellent with you, even if you put it on before going out, carry repellent with you because if you sweat a lot it might not be effective after several hours.

I'm telling you from experience, it's happened to me that I was walking through the mountains and suddenly came across a cloud of mosquitoes.

Dengue does not usually cause very serious symptoms, although it can ruin your vacation, because there are no medications for this.

The most common symptoms of dengue are muscle pain and headaches, which can last between 5 and 7 days; they also vary in intensity for each person.

In Thailand you can buy repellent for very little money in supermarkets, but they are not as effective as Relec Extra Forte. At least it's the one I use and not even a mosquito comes close. 😅

5.- Malaria

Malaria is not very common in Thailand, except in the border areas in the north with Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar (Burma).

It is a disease that is transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Since 2015 there has been a vaccine to prevent Malaria, but when traveling to Thailand they do not usually give it, I suppose it is because it has many side effects.

In case you get malaria, what is used is the same malaria vaccine, but as I told you, in the majority of the country there is no this disease.

6.- Water to drink and ice

The tap water in Thailand is drinkable, but there is a big problem, the pipes and tanks through which the water passes are not always in perfect sanitary conditions.

That's why you should never drink tap water in thailand, nor cook or brush your teeth with it.

Purchased water is very cheap because it is usually filtered and it is better to pay a few bahts instead of spending your vacation next to the toilet in your room.

With respect to the drinks from the street stalls and the ice they use, it is completely safe because they use filtered water.

This does not mean that there are sensitive people who have a digestive problem, but in my experience, the cause was probably not a drink or ice.

after living several years in Thailand I have never had problems. I have also not heard that other expats living in Thailand or Thais stop drinking from the stands or order without ice, at least not because of a safety issue.

7.- Take out medical insurance

The hospitals in Thailand are top-notch, but If something happens to you and you have to pay for it out of pocket, it can cost you a fortune, especially if it involves operations or some important emergency medical treatment.

Therefore, it is better that you take out travel insurance before you go and read the fine print to know what is included.

I always use and recommend Heymondo, it is an international insurer specialized in travel insurance, with excellent coverage and 24-hour assistance, even if you take out the basic insurance and here you can get a 5% discount.

Another advantage is that if you have to use insurance, you don't need to advance money as happens with other insurers.

If you’re looking for an affordable option, IATI is perfect. It’s the insurance backpackers prefer, and you also get a 5% discount.

Medications for traveling Thailand

When you go to the international vaccination center they will give you a sheet with some recommendations such as those related to water and mosquitoes that I told you about above.

They will also give you prescriptions for some medications to take as a precaution, which are usually: antibiotics, antihistamines, paracetamol and saline solution. This will depend on what the doctor recommends.

My recommendation is that do not take the entire boxes of medicines If they are just as a precaution. Besides, In pharmacies in Thailand you can find everything.

If you get motion sickness, it is a good idea to include this medication in your first aid kit to travel to the land of smiles.

Especially if you are going to travel by speedboat, which sometimes causes dizziness, even in people who do not usually get dizzy. If not, in Thailand you can buy it at any pharmacy and it is very cheap.

Final Thoughts

This vaccine guide for Thailand is based on the recommendations of the Spanish Association of Vaccinology, my personal experience when I went to live in Thailand.

However, remember that this guide is indicative and it will be the vaccination staff who will give you all the recommendations according to your particular case, in the end they are the experts.

If you have doubts about whether they will let you enter Thailand in specific cases, it is best to consult with the Thai Embassy in your country, here I have left you the link to the embassy in Spain.

If you have any questions or I have left something out, leave me a comment below and I will help you in any way I can. Have a good trip!

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