Wallis and Futuna

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 Office travel advice page 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.

Resources

• Food and water hygiene

• Insect and tick bite avoidance

• Personal safety

• Sun protection

What vaccinations do I need for Wallis and Futuna?

Details of vaccination recommendations and requirements are provided below.

Vaccine recommendations

All 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.

Certificate requirements

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, a yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over 1 year of age arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission and for travellers having transited for more than 12 hours through the airport of a country 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.

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. Vaccines are listed alphabetically.

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

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 are the other risks in Wallis and Futuna?

There are some risks that are relevant to all travellers regardless of destination. These may for example include road traffic and other accidents, diseases transmitted by insects or ticks, diseases transmitted by contaminated food and water, or health issues related to the heat or cold. Some additional risks (which may be present in all or part of this country) are mentioned below and are presented alphabetically.

Other risks

Biting insects or ticks

Insect or tick bites can cause irritation and infections of the skin at the site of a bite. In some areas of Wallis and Futuna certain insects or ticks may be present.

Prevention

All travellers should avoid insect and tick bites day and night. Further information is available in the insect and tick bite avoidance factsheet.

Influenza

Seasonal influenza is a viral infection of the respiratory tract and spreads easily from person to person via respiratory droplets when coughing and sneezing. Symptoms appear rapidly and include fever, muscle aches, headache, malaise (feeling unwell), cough, sore throat and a runny nose. In healthy individuals, symptoms improve without treatment within two to seven days. Severe illness is more common in those aged 65 years or over, those under 2 years of age, or those who have underlying medical conditions that increase their risk for complications of influenza. Seasonal influenza occurs throughout the world. In the northern hemisphere (including the UK), most influenza occurs from as early as October through to March. In the southern hemisphere, influenza mostly occurs between April and September. In the tropics, influenza can occur throughout the year.

Prevention

All travellers should avoid close contact with symptomatic individuals, avoid crowded conditions where possible, wash their hands frequently, and practice ‘cough hygiene’.

Avian influenza

Avian influenza viruses can rarely infect and cause disease in humans. Such cases are usually associated with close exposure to infected bird or animal populations. Where appropriate, information on these will be available in the outbreaks and news sections of the relevant country pages. Seasonal influenza vaccines will not provide protection against avian influenza.

Sexually transmitted infections

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a group of viral, bacterial and parasitic infections spread during sexual intercourse or by intimate contact. Certain STIs can be more difficult to treat due to higher levels of antibiotic resistance and some STIs that are rare in the UK may be more common in other world regions. Anyone who is sexually active is at risk of getting an STI wherever they are in the world.

Prevention

Using condoms consistently and correctly with new or casual partners is the most effective way to reduce risk of STIs. Travellers should also seek medical advice and give their travel history if they think they may have an STI, even if they have no symptoms.

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.