What Vaccines Are Required For Travel To Indonesia?

If you are going to travel to Indonesia then you need to make sure you check the latest health information for travellers as well as the risk of malaria in Indonesia. As this country is located in Southeast Asia, there are some travel vaccines and advice for Indonesia that you may want to consider before your trip to make sure that you don’t fall ill and that you get the best out of your holiday.

Recommendations on vaccines for Indonesia

There are no strict recommendations on vaccines for Indonesia but as a general rule for travel to Southeast Asia, it is recommended that you have immunizations for diphtheria, hepatitis A, tetanus, yellow fever, and typhoid. Of course you should also make sure that all your childhood vaccinations are up to date before you visit Indonesia, such as the MMR vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella. If you are planning a long trip in Indonesia, particularly to remote areas, then you may also want to consider vaccinations against hepatitis B and Japanese encephalitis.

There is no standard yellow fever certificate required, unless you are over the age of 9 months and are visiting Indonesia from a country that has a high known risk of yellow fever.

The main ways that travelers to Indonesia may fall ill is through exposure to contaminated food and water, or through insect bites, particularly mosquitoes but also tick bites and other animals or insects. These can include illnesses such as rabies which can be contracted through a bite from a dog that is suffering from the disease and this can be fatal, so you will need a course of rabies injections if you are bitten.

Is there malaria in Indonesia?

According to the World Health Organization malaria exists in five provinces in the east of Indonesia, namely East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, North Maluku, Papua and West Papua. There is also the risk of malaria in other parts of the country, although Jakarta Municipality is malaria free as well as most cities, urban areas, and the majority of tourist resorts. For this reason, most travellers choose not to take anti-malaria prophylaxis but if you are heading to the east of Indonesia then you should consult with a health care professional before your trip.

Other mosquito-borne diseases and how to protect yourself

As well as malaria in some parts of the country there is also a risk of other mosquito borne diseases in Indonesia.

Dengue fever

Of these one of the most prevalent is dengue fever which is transmitted via mosquito bites and which can cause you to become seriously ill or even die. The symptoms of dengue fever include a high temperature, aching bones, pain behind the eyes and a rash on your torso. Recently a dengue vaccine has been introduced to the market but it is rather costly (around USD300 for the whole course), needs to be injected in 3 doses, lasts up to 6 years only and does not protect from the disease 100% but only helps avoid the most dangerous form of dengue and complications.

Unfortunately there is no preventative medicine that you can take for dengue fever, and the treatment in Indonesia usually involves being admitted to hospital and having your blood platelets count monitored. If it drops too low then you may need a blood transfusion.

To guard against dengue, the best preventative measure is to use mosquito repellent as well as a mosquito net over your bed in rural areas. You should also make sure to cover up at night, especially around dusk, and wear long sleeved clothes.

Zika virus

There is technically a risk of zika in Indonesia so if you are pregnant then you may want to seek the advice of a healthcare professional before traveling as there can be a risk of the virus affecting unborn babies. As there is no way to prevent the zika virus, you need to exercise caution if you are traveling to Indonesia and take care not to get bitten by mosquitoes. You should note however that cases of the disease are rare in the country compared to other parts of the world such as South America.

Japanese encephalitis

There is also a risk of Japanese encephalitis in Indonesia and it is recommended that you get vaccinated before you travel to the country if you are planning to stay for a long time, or if you are planning to visit remote areas. Japanese encephalitis can be a serious disease and it can cause symptoms such as fever, a headache and vomiting and many people mistake it for a case of the flu. There can however be serious complications such as paralysis and seizures, so if you had not had the vaccine and are worried that you may have been infected then you need to seek medical treatment immediately.

Health care in Indonesia and where to get medical help

Indonesia is a developing country and outside the main central tourist hubs like Bali and Jakarta healthcare can be basic. This means that if you fall seriously ill in Indonesia, you will probably want and need to be evacuated to a neighbouring country such as Singapore or Thailand where the standard of medical care is far better.

Another thing to bear in mind is that Indonesia is a country that can be unreliable when it comes to vaccines. In recent years there have been a series of nationwide scandals where hospitals were sold and administered vaccines which turned out to be fake, leaving victims exposed to serious illnesses. This means that you need to try and plan to have all your vaccinations before you visit the country. There have also been reports of many hospitals running out of vaccines or not stocking them at all, such as the vaccine for rabies. In this case, if you need a vaccination then you should really seek medical treatment as soon as possible as there could be delays in actually accessing treatment.

It is also essential that you get medical insurance before you travel to Indonesia and that this also includes paying for medical evacuations in the event of an emergency. Many of the larger, international hospitals in places like Bali and Jakarta are very expensive and travelers have been left with medical bills totaling thousands of dollars, which then leaves then unable to leave the country until they have paid, as hospitals in Indonesia usually retain a foreign passport as a deposit. With that in mind, make sure you take out insurance before you visit, even if you don’t think you will ever need it.

Tips for staying healthy in Indonesia:

• Bring a medical kit
  A great tip for staying healthy in Indonesia is to bring a medical kit with you in case you get sick in a rural area or in a place where you do not have quick access to medical care. Make sure to pack a range of items such as antibacterial creams as well as antiseptic, aspirin, medication for diarrhoea such as Imodium and fever medication. You may also want to consider antihistamine creams for insect bites and you may also want to bring sterilized needles and syringes in case you need to have an injection or blood test in a rural area. If you bring any prescription medication with you then it is absolutely paramount that you bring a doctor’s certificate with you. This is also true for any medication related to mental health such as anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medication such as Xanex which is strictly regulated in the country.

• Bring plenty of bug spray
  You can buy insect repellent in Indonesia and local brands include Autan and Sofell. One thing to note however is that many visitors find that these are not very effective so you may want to bring some insect repellent from home which contains DEET, especially if you are traveling to a heavily forested area or the east of Indonesia where there is a bigger threat of malaria.

• Bring a mosquito net
  If you are planning to visit areas that are known for having malaria, or are places such as national parks where mosquito populations are high, then you should consider bringing a mosquito net with you to hang over your bed at night. You can buy mosquito nets in Indonesia although they are surprisingly uncommon as many locals do not use them so if you don’t want to be caught out then it is best to bring your own.

• Drink bottled water
  Tap water is not safe to drink in Indonesia and you risk getting extremely sick if you do so. There are a number of water borne diseases in Indonesia, so you need to stick to drinking bottled water at all times. Fortunately however, it is very cheap and easy to buy drinking water in Indonesia and a large bottle of Aqua, the main local brand, is around IDR 5,000.

• Seek treatment if you are bitten by a dog
  There is a risk of rabies in Indonesia if you are bitten by a dog or another animal such as a bat. It is unlikely that this will happen to you, unless you get bitten by a stray, but if this happens then you need to seek immediate medical treatment. If you are bitten by an animal that may carry rabies then you need to have a course of anti-rabies injections, and you can get these from a local hospital. One thing to note however is that in Bali the only hospital that has the anti-rabies vaccine is Sanglah so you will need to go there for treatment rather than one of the international hospitals. For one vaccine the cost is around IDR 150,000.

• Make sure to wear a hat and sunscreen
  There is a serious risk of heatstroke in Indonesia where temperatures can top 30°C throughout the year. This means that you need to wear a hat, even if you are only going for a quick walk around, as the sun can be fierce, especially from 11 am to 3 pm. You should also tale care to avoid sunburn and regularly apply sunscreen throughout the day, especially if you are doing activities in water such as swimming, surfing or diving.

• Have medical insurance
  You may never need it, but medical insurance is of the utmost importance when traveling to Indonesia. Also make sure that it covers you for a range of activities such as traveling to remote areas and that it also includes medical evacuation so that you are covered for any and every emergency.

• Take care when eating
  One of the main reasons travellers get sick in Indonesia is due to contaminated food and water. With this in mind, make sure that you don’t just drink bottled water but also watch your food intake. Foods that have been washed in water such as salads can be as dangerous for you as drinking water straight from the tap, so as a general rule try to choose raw fruits and vegetables that can be peeled like oranges and bananas.