Indonesia

Country fact file

General information

The information on these pages should be used to research health risks and to inform the pre-travel consultation.

Travellers should check the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) country-specific travel advice page (where available) which provides information on travel entry requirements in addition to safety and security advice.

Travellers should ideally arrange an appointment with their health professional at least four to six weeks before travel. However, even if time is short, an appointment is still worthwhile. This appointment provides an opportunity to assess health risks taking into account a number of factors including destination, medical history, and planned activities. For those with pre-existing health problems, an earlier appointment is recommended.

All travellers should ensure they have adequate travel health insurance.

A list of useful resources including advice on how to reduce the risk of certain health problems is available below

What resources are available for health advice in Indonesia?

• Food and water hygiene

• Insect and tick bite avoidance

• Personal safety

• Sun protection

What vaccinations do I need for Indonesia?

Details of vaccination recommendations and requirements are provided below.

Do I need vaccinations if I am a traveller?

Travellers should be up to date with routine vaccination courses and boosters as recommended in the UK. These vaccinations include for example measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and diphtheria-tetanus-polio vaccine.

Country-specific diphtheria recommendations are not provided here. Diphtheria tetanus and polio are combined in a single vaccine in the UK. Therefore, when a tetanus booster is recommended for travellers, diphtheria vaccine is also given. Should there be an outbreak of diphtheria in a country, diphtheria vaccination guidance will be provided.

Those who may be at increased risk of an infectious disease due to their work, lifestyle choice, or certain underlying health problems should be up to date with additional recommended vaccines. See details on the selective immunisation programmes and additional vaccines for individuals with underlying medical conditions at the bottom of the 'Complete routine immunisation schedule' document and the individual chapters of the 'Green Book' Immunisation against infectious disease for further details.

What are the certificate requirements for vaccinations?

Please read the information below carefully, as certificate requirements may be relevant to certain travellers only. For travellers further details, if required, should be sought from their healthcare professional

• There is no risk of yellow fever in this country, however, there is a certificate requirement.

• Under International Health Regulations, proof of vaccination against yellow fever is required from travellers aged 9 months or over arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission.

• According to World Health Organization (WHO), from 11 July 2016 (for all countries), the yellow fever certificate will be valid for the duration of the life of the person vaccinated. As a consequence, a valid certificate, presented by arriving travellers, cannot be rejected on the grounds that more than ten years have passed since the date vaccination became effective as stated on the certificate; and that boosters or revaccination cannot be required.

• View the WHO list of countries with risk of yellow fever transmission.

• Polio vaccination is recommended for some travellers (see ‘Some Travellers’ section below). Unrelated to requirements under International Health Regulations, this country stipulates additional requirements for meningococcal meningitis and polio vaccinations for some departing travellers, please check the World Health Organization: International Travel and Health for the latest country specific information.

What vaccinations are recommended for most travellers?

The vaccines in this section are recommended for most travellers visiting this country. Information on these vaccines can be found by clicking on the blue arrow.

What vaccination should I consider for Hepatitis A?

Hepatitis A is a viral infection transmitted through contaminated food and water or by direct contact with an infectious person. Symptoms are often mild or absent in young children, but the disease can be more serious with advancing age. Recovery can vary from weeks to months. Following hepatitis A infection immunity is lifelong.

Prevention

All travellers should take care with personal, food and water hygiene.

Hepatitis A vaccination

As hepatitis A vaccine is well tolerated and affords long-lasting protection, it is recommended for all previously unvaccinated travellers.

Hepatitis A in brief

What vaccination should I consider for Tetanus?

Tetanus is caused by a toxin released from Clostridium tetani bacteria and occurs worldwide. Tetanus bacteria are present in soil and manure and may be introduced through open wounds such as a puncture wound, burn or scratch.

Prevention

Travellers should thoroughly clean all wounds and seek medical attention for injuries such as animal bites/scratches, burns or wounds contaminated with soil.

Tetanus vaccination

• Travellers should have completed a tetanus vaccination course according to the UK schedule.

• If travelling to a country or area where medical facilities may be limited, a booster dose of a tetanus-containing vaccine is recommended if the last dose was more than ten years ago even if five doses of vaccine have been given previously.

Country-specific information on medical facilities may be found in the 'health' section of the FCDO foreign travel advice pages.

Tetanus in brief

What vaccination should I consider for Typhoid?

Typhoid is a bacterial infection transmitted through contaminated food and water. Previous typhoid illness may only partially protect against re-infection.

Vaccination is recommended for most travellers, particularly travellers visiting friends and relatives, those in contact with an infected person, young children, frequent or long-stay travellers visiting areas where sanitation and food hygiene are likely to be poor, and laboratory personnel who may handle the bacteria for their work.

Prevention

All travellers should take care with personal, food and water hygiene.

Typhoid vaccination

• Oral and injectable typhoid vaccinations are available.

Typhoid in brief

What vaccinations are recommended for some travellers?

The vaccines in this section are recommended for some travellers visiting this country. Information on when these vaccines should be considered can be found by clicking on the arrow.

What vaccination should I consider for Chikungunya?

Chikungunya is a viral infection spread by mosquitoes which bite mainly during daytime hours. It causes a flu-like illness and can cause severe joint and muscles pains which usually improve in 1–2 weeks but may persist for months or years. It is rarely fatal.

There is a risk of chikungunya in this country.

Information on current outbreaks, where available, will be reported on our outbreak surveillance database.

Prevention

• Travellers should avoid mosquito bites, particularly during daytime hours.

Chikungunya vaccination

Vaccination may be considered for individuals aged 12 years of age and over who are:

• travelling to regions with a current chikungunya outbreak

• long-term or frequent travellers to regions with an increased risk of chikungunya

• exposed to the chikungunya virus through their work, such as laboratory staff working with the virus

Detailed advice about the use and contraindications of the available vaccines will be available in the green book chikungunya chapter in the coming months. For now, please see the JCVI news item and chikungunya in brief for details.

Chikungunya in brief

What vaccination should I consider for Cholera?

Cholera is a bacterial infection transmitted by contaminated food and water. Cholera can cause severe watery diarrhoea although mild infections are common. Most travellers are at low risk.

Prevention

All travellers should take care with personal, food and water hygiene.

Cholera vaccination

This oral vaccine is recommended for those whose activities or medical history put them at increased risk. This includes:

• aid workers.

• those going to areas of cholera outbreaks who have limited access to safe water and medical care.

• those for whom vaccination is considered potentially beneficial.

Cholera in brief

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More vaccination details continue under subsequent sections.

Source and disclaimer

This travel health information is based on data supplied by NaTHNaC (the National Travel Health Network and Centre). All intellectual property rights in the data are owned by NaTHNaC. It must not be copied, reproduced, distributed, amended or offered for sale without NaTHNaC’s prior written consent.
Patient.info ensures that this information is reviewed and updated on at least a weekly basis. However, NaTHNaC’s data is accurate only as at the date it was prepared, and Patient.info is solely responsible for maintaining its accuracy and completeness after that date. NaTHNaC accepts no liability for the use of this data by Patient.info or its users.