Health recommendations for travelers

Verified 14 September 2026 - Public Service / (Prime Minister)

Are you planning to go abroad for tourism or work? You must inquire before your departure on the sanitary conditions of the country or countries visited. If you are going to an area where there is a risk of malaria transmission, you should consult a doctor before leaving to prescribe treatment. Other precautions are useful to avoid health problems (dengue, turista, chikungunya...).) We explain the rules to know.

Malaria prevention

Malaria is a serious disease, potentially deadly, transmitted by certain mosquitoes (anopheles) and widespread in tropical areas.

You must both:

  • You protect against mosquito bites (long clothing, mosquito nets, anti-mosquito products on the skin...))
  • And take a preventive drug.

Antimalarial treatment can only be prescribed by a doctor.

This preventive treatment will take into account in particular the following criteria:

  • Areas you will visit
  • Intensity of transmission
  • Conditions, duration and period of your trip
  • Your age and weight
  • Your financial capabilities.

If you have a fever when you return from your trip, you must urgently consult a doctor.

FYI  

Malaria prevention must be systematic. It must be the subject before departure in a country in an endemic zone of consultation, if possible in the travel medicine department.

But no antimalarial drug guarantees absolute protection against infection. 

Protective measures against mosquito bites

It is recommended to:

  • Wear light, loose-fitting and covering clothing (long sleeves, long pants and closed shoes)
  • Apply a repellent to uncovered areas of the body
  • Sleep at night under an insecticide-treated net
  • Limit outdoor activities, if possible, to times when mosquitoes are most active
  • Avoid going out at night without mosquito protection (even for a short time).

There are other complementary measures (examples: air conditioning, ventilation, electric snowshoes inside homes).

Prevention of dengue and chikungunya

Dengue and chikungunya are transmitted by a different kind of mosquito than malaria vectors.

They usually bite during the day.

At the individual level, prevention involves the use of physical protective means (loose clothing, covering and lightweight, mosquito nets, etc.).

The use of repellents is recommended with precautions to be respected in pregnant women and children of under 12 : it is essential to take advice with a doctor or pharmacist.

FYI  

Dengue vaccination is recommended for some travelers depending on their destination, length of stay and age.

The High Council of Public Health recommends vaccination against chikungunya for some travelers (example: for those under 65 with comorbidities but no immunocompromised traveling to an epidemic area or repeatedly staying in an area of recent circulation of chikungunya virus).

Precautions against bugs, lice, ticks

The risks associated with biting insects other than mosquitoes (bugs, lice, ticks)...) are particularly high in rural areas and/or in conditions of low comfort.

It is recommended to provide covering clothing and skin repellents against ticks and mosquito nets impregnated against bugs.

Against body lice, prevention involves washing clothes at more than 50 ° C and good body hygiene.

FYI  

Airplanes from certain countries are disinsected.

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Snakes

The prevention of snake bites is based on the following points:

  • Avoid walking barefoot or wearing open shoes
  • Wear long pants and high-top shoes or boots when hiking, especially in the fields
  • Stay on the trails when hiking, avoid walking off the trail, look where you walk
  • Use a flashlight during night walks
  • Do not sleep or lie on the floor
  • Do not lift or return stones, objects on the ground, branches, tree stumps or foliage with your bare hands…; use a stick or cane
  • Do not search holes, crevices, burrows...
  • Get informed and know the snakes at risk in the geographical area before a potential exposure (hiking, bivouac, etc.).

Scorpions

The prevention of stings rests in particular on:

  • Inspection of shoes and clothing before dressing
  • Wearing closed shoes
  • Specific information on the risk of stings
  • The lifestyles of scorpions and the modalities of exposure.

Spiders

Bite prevention is based on information, knowledge of risk situations in nature and inspection of clothing and footwear.

Prevention is based on:

  • Wash hands, before meals, before handling food and after using the toilet, and dry with a clean cloth or, if not, in the air. Without soap and water, it is recommended to use a gel or an aqueous-alcoholic solution
  • Prefer hot dishes for which the hot chain has been maintained
  • Avoid consuming food sold on the street when compliance with hot or cold chains is uncertain
  • Preferably consume bottled water that is capped (and opened in front of you) or, if not, made drinkable by boiling (1 minute in large broths) or by disinfection possibly preceded by filtration (portable filter) if the water is cloudy.
    Tap water can be consumed in countries where it is treated and where there is no risk of contamination
  • Avoid the consumption of ice cubes, fresh fruit juices prepared in a traditional way, raw vegetables, shellfish in particular raw, reheated dishes, homemade ice cream
  • Wash or peel the fruit yourself after washing your hands
  • Eat well cooked eggs, meat, fish and shellfish
  • Eat preferably pasteurized or boiled milk and milk products
  • In infants, give priority to breastfeeding.

Good body hygiene when traveling is important.

Wash your hands with soap and water and dry them.

Take special care in case of a wound or skin injury.

In addition:

  • Avoid drying the laundry outside or on the floor; otherwise, iron it on both sides
  • Do not walk barefoot on the beaches and do not lie on the sand
  • Wear a light, easily washable, permeable garment
  • Wear closed shoes on muddy or wet floors
  • Do not walk or swim in fresh water
  • Avoid contact with animals (risk of rabies in particular)
  • Be vigilant for animal/child contact.

In countries with inadequate health facilities, blood transfusions represent a major risk of transmission of pathogens through the blood, including hepatitis B and C viruses and HIV.

Certain medical care (for example, intravenous or intramuscular injection) also exposes patients to infectious risks.

To limit the risk of infection, healthcare professionals recommend:

  • Refuse any action that you are not sure will be performed with sterile, new disposable equipment (needles, syringes, acupuncture needles, scarified suction cups) or subjected to appropriate sterilization beforehand
  • For travelers with comorbidities advises individuals to take sterile disposable equipment (syringes, needles) with them (with a prescription).

It is preferable:

FYI  

Medical tourism (dental care, plastic surgery) exposes...) you to particular risks.

On the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you will find a section advice by country / destination.

Once the country is selected, several topics appear, including one titled Advice to travelers. Within this topic, a tab deals with the health.

You can register on the Ariane application of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This application allows you to receive safety and health alerts by SMS and email.

The person you designate as contact person can also be prevented.

Ariane: to be alerted in case of crisis during a trip abroad

Who can help me?

Find who can answer your questions in your region

  • Institut Pasteur Medical Center

    The Institut Pasteur medical center supports travelers in the medical preparation of their journey.

    Doctolib

    Online appointment booking at the Medical Center is possible on Doctolib:

    https://www.doctolib.fr/centre-de-sante/paris/centre-medical-institut-pasteur-cmip

    Careful, he is it is not possible to use Doctolib in the following cases:

    • Consultations at the rabies center (against rabies)
    • Consultations relevant to the emergency such as fever on return from travel,
    • Sexual or Blood Exposure Accident (SEA).

    By phone

    01 45 68 80 88

    Appointments are made exclusively by telephone for the following reasons:

    • Consultations at the rabies center (against rabies)
    • Consultations relevant to the emergency such as fever on return from travel,
    • Sexual or Blood Exposure Accident (SEA).

    By post or on site

    211 rue de Vaugirard

    75015 Paris