Most visitors to Ethiopia need no vaccine to get in: the yellow fever certificate is only required if you arrive from, or spend more than 12 hours transiting through, a country with yellow fever risk. Health agencies still recommend the yellow fever jab for most trips, along with routine vaccines, hepatitis A and typhoid, and some travellers should add hepatitis B, rabies, polio, meningitis or cholera.

Do you need a yellow fever certificate to enter Ethiopia?

Only in certain cases. The entry rule is:

• You need proof of yellow fever vaccination if you are aged 9 months or over and are arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission.
• It also applies if you transited for more than 12 hours through an airport in a risk country.
• The certificate is not required for direct travel from the United States.

Watch your routing. A long layover in a yellow fever risk country can trigger the rule, so ask your clinic to check every country on your route, not just Ethiopia.

Should you get the yellow fever vaccine anyway?

For most trips, yes. Ethiopia itself has yellow fever risk, and the vaccine is recommended for travellers aged 9 months and over, except for trips limited to the Afar and Somali regions. People aged 60 and over should not be vaccinated for travel only to those lower-exposure areas, because of a higher risk of serious side effects.

Two practical points: the certificate (the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis, often called the yellow card) becomes valid 10 days after vaccination, and it is valid for life. If a doctor says you can't have the vaccine, ask for a signed medical waiver letter, although a destination country may not accept it.

Because Ethiopia is a yellow fever risk country, you may need the certificate to enter some countries after Ethiopia, so check your onward destination.

What other vaccines are recommended for Ethiopia?

Depending on your age and plans, these are the usual recommendations:

• Routine vaccines, including measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) and tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis. Poliovirus has been identified in Ethiopia in the past year, and adults who were fully vaccinated as children may have a single lifetime polio booster.
• Hepatitis A: recommended for unvaccinated travellers aged one and over.
• Hepatitis B: recommended for unvaccinated travellers.
• Typhoid: recommended for most travellers.
• Rabies: consider it if you'll be around animals or far from medical care. Dogs with rabies are common, and rabies vaccine is typically not readily available after a bite.
• Meningococcal: for travel to Ethiopia's meningitis-belt areas in the dry season, roughly December to June.
• Cholera: may be considered. Transmission is widespread, with an ongoing outbreak in the south and new cases in the north-west.

When should you book your travel clinic appointment?

Earlier than you might think: ideally 6 to 8 weeks before your trip. Some vaccines are given as a course of several doses, and the yellow fever certificate only counts from 10 days after the jab. If your trip is sooner, still make an appointment; a late visit is better than none.

Is there malaria in Addis Ababa?

Malaria risk exists all year in areas below 2,000 m. Addis Ababa, at about 2,400 m, is generally considered free of malaria, but some guidance recommends preventive tablets for all areas below 2,500 m and includes Addis. The safe approach:

• Tell your travel clinic exactly where you're going, including the heights of the places on your route.
• Expect the lowlands to matter most. Several places popular with visitors, including the Rift Valley lakes, are well below 2,000 m.
• Let the clinic decide on tablets for your whole itinerary, rather than for Addis alone.

In practice, many visitors spend a few days in Addis and then head to lower, warmer places such as Hawassa and the Rift Valley lakes. That onward trip is usually what matters most for malaria. If you are going south with us, tell your clinic the route and the nights you'll spend there. Whatever you decide, use repellent and cover up in the evenings in lowland areas.

What else should you know about health in Ethiopia?

• Health declaration: travellers from some countries may need to complete a health declaration form, and Ethiopian Airlines lists Ethiopia among destinations where passengers must complete one before departure. Check with your airline.
• Altitude: altitude sickness is a risk in parts of Ethiopia, including Addis Ababa. Take the first day or two gently.
• Mosquitoes: vaccines don't cover everything. Dengue and Zika are also health risks, so bite prevention matters in lowland areas even if you take malaria tablets.
• Water: drink only boiled or bottled water and avoid ice.
• Lakes: bilharzia (schistosomiasis) is present in the vast majority of Ethiopia's lakes, so check before swimming.
• Recent outbreaks: Ethiopia and WHO declared the Marburg virus outbreak over on 26 January 2026. Mpox is also listed among the health risks.
• Medical care: only private hospitals in Addis offer a reasonable standard of basic care, and facilities outside the capital are extremely poor. Get travel insurance that covers medical evacuation.

Our separate guide to altitude in Addis Ababa goes into more detail on acclimatising. The easiest way to take the first day gently is not to deal with taxis or directions at all: send us your flight number and our driver meets you in Bole arrivals and takes you straight to your hotel.