Tanzania
Travel Destination – Tanzania
Tanzania is renowned for its extraordinary wildlife, dramatic landscapes, and rich cultural heritage. Adventures include world-class safaris in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, or relaxing on the white-sand beaches of Zanzibar. The country has vibrant local cultures, historic Swahili towns, and diverse ecosystems ranging from savannahs to coral reefs. While Tanzania provides unforgettable travel experiences, access to healthcare and infrastructure can be limited outside major cities and tourist centres. Careful preparation is essential for a safe and enjoyable journey, including health planning and awareness of local conditions.
Health Risks
Pre-travel preparation
Before travelling to Tanzania, booking an appointment with a travel doctor is highly recommended for personalised travel advice based on your itinerary, whether you are visiting safari parks, trekking Mount Kilimanjaro, or enjoying the coasts of Zanzibar. Your travel doctor can review your vaccination history, recommend travel-specific immunisations, and prescribe any necessary medications. Ideally, schedule your appointment six to eight weeks before departure to allow time for multi-dose vaccines, although a last-minute consultation is still valuable for essential health advice and accelerated vaccination schedules.
Insect avoidance
In Tanzania, mosquitoes are common and can transmit diseases such as dengue, malaria, and chikungunya. Tse-tse flies can carry African Sleeping Sickness and ticks can carry African Tick Bite Fever. Preventing insect bites is one of the most important health measures for travellers.
Stay in accommodation with screened windows or air-conditioning where possible, and use a permethrin-treated mosquito net if these are unavailable. Wear long-sleeved shirts, long trousers, and closed footwear when venturing outside. Apply insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus to exposed skin. Treating clothing and gear with permethrin provides additional protection. When returning indoors after spending time in bushland, check for ticks within 2 hours.
Food and water hygiene
Tanzanian cuisine features dishes made with rice, maize, vegetables, seafood, and meat. Good food and water hygiene practices help reduce the risk of gastroenteritis and other gastrointestinal infections. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitiser before eating. Choose food that is freshly cooked, well cooked, and served hot. Avoid raw or undercooked foods and reheated meals. Fruits and vegetables are safer when they can be peeled before eating. Drink only bottled, boiled, or filtered water, and avoid untreated tap water and ice.
Rabies prevention
Although Australia is free of rabies, the virus is present in Tanzania and is most commonly carried by dogs, but can also occur in other mammals. Travellers should avoid contact with animals, including stray dogs, cats, and wildlife. A travel doctor can advise whether pre-exposure rabies vaccination is recommended, particularly for travellers spending time in rural areas, working with animals, or travelling far from medical facilities. Any bite, scratch, or saliva exposure requires immediate medical assessment for early detection, as rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms develop.
Our Travel Doctors
Our fully qualified doctors have an interest in travel medicine and immunisations. And they know travel. Their expert advice will be tailored for you, your travel companions and your trip.
Which shots do I need for Tanzania?
Hepatitis A
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The Hepatitis A virus can infect the liver, causing symptoms ranging from mild illness to yellow skin and prolonged fatigue. Hepatitis A is common in Tanzania, and spread through contaminated food and water. Many Australians are not routinely immunised, and vaccination is advised for travellers who have not completed a two-dose Hepatitis A vaccination.
Typhoid
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Typhoid fever is caused by Salmonella Typhi bacteria and is spread through contaminated food or water. Symptoms include prolonged fever, fatigue, headache, abdominal pain, and gastrointestinal upset. The risk of typhoid is higher than in Australia. Vaccination is recommended for travellers to Tanzania, particularly those planning longer stays, rural travel, or frequent consumption of local or street food. The vaccine provides up to three years of protection, but proper food and water hygiene remains essential.
Hepatitis B
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The hepatitis B virus can cause long-term infection of the liver. It can be spread through contact with infected blood or bodily fluids, such as through unprotected sex, tattooing or piercing, or sharing personal items such as razors. While many younger Australians are vaccinated, some adults remain unprotected. Hepatitis B vaccination may be recommended for travellers to Tanzania who are not immune. A travel doctor can review your vaccination history and provide personalised advice.
Mpox
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Mpox (formerly called monkeypox) is a virus that is spread in Tanzania through close contact, including body fluids, sores, or contaminated materials. It can cause a fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes in infected individuals. Preventive measures may be advised for travellers at higher risk. A travel doctor can provide personalised advice based on your plans.
Yellow Fever
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Yellow fever is a virus carried by mosquitoes, causing fever, headaches and muscle pain. It gets the name yellow fever because the skin of infected individuals can turn yellow. Severe complications like kidney and liver failure can arise, with a fatality rate of 30-60% for severe cases.
Yellow fever vaccination is not required for entry to Tanzania, unless you have been to countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. It is best to discuss with your travel doctor whether a vaccination for yellow fever is recommended as it depends on the travel locations.
Cholera
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Cholera is a bacteria that is spread through contaminated food and water. It can cause sudden, severe diarrhoea and dehydration. In Tanzania, active cholera transmission is widespread, particularly where sanitation is limited. The cholera vaccine is recommended for certain travellers, such as healthcare workers visiting outbreak areas. Your travel doctor can determine whether vaccination is recommended based on your itinerary.
Routine vaccinations
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In Australia, the transmission of many common infections are kept at very low levels through widespread routine immunisation. This is not always the case in other countries, and rates of infections such as measles, mumps and rubella may be much higher than at home. The lead up to overseas trips is a good time to review your routine vaccinations and get boosters where you need them. These will include immunisations against influenza, COVID-19, measles, tetanus and others.
Tanzania
Other health risks in Tanzania
Malaria
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Malaria is widespread throughout Tanzania and is transmitted by mosquitoes, primarily
at night. Symptoms include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and fatigue.
Severe malaria can be life-threatening if not treated promptly. Prevention
includes strict mosquito avoidance and taking antimalarial medication. A travel
doctor can advise whether malaria tablets are recommended for your itinerary
and which option is most suitable.
Gastroenteritis
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Gastroenteritis, or travellers’ diarrhoea, is common in Tanzania and is usually caused by bacteria ingested in contaminated food or water. In cases of bacterial infection, symptoms typically begin within 24 to 72 hours and include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain.
Hydration is the key to treatment, which can be achieved with oral rehydration solutions which replaces fluid and salts. Antibiotics are usually reserved for severe infection or if a patient has risk factors for complications.
Gastroenteritis usually resolves on its own in one to three days, however medical attention is required if symptoms are prolonged, severe, or if you are unable to maintain adequate hydration to keep up with fluid loss. Prevention involves good hand hygiene before eating and avoidance of high-risk foods and drinks.
Dengue
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Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral infection that cause fever, headache, and
severe joint and muscle pain. Dengue-carrying mosquitoes tend to bite during
the day, especially in urban areas.
There is no specific treatment for dengue, so prevention relies on effective mosquito avoidance strategies.
Rabies
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Although Australia is free of rabies, the virus is present in Tanzania and is most commonly carried by dogs, but can also occur in other mammals. Travellers should avoid contact with animals, including stray dogs, cats, and wildlife. A travel doctor can advise whether pre-exposure rabies vaccination is recommended, particularly for travellers spending time in rural areas, working with animals, or travelling far from medical facilities. Any bite, scratch, or saliva exposure requires immediate medical assessment for early detection, as rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms develop.
Schistosomiasis
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Schistosomiasis is present in Tanzania, particularly around Lake Victoria, where the parasite is transmitted through contact with contaminated water. Travelers are at risk when swimming, wading, bathing, or washing in untreated freshwater. To reduce risk, avoid freshwater exposure whenever possible; choose well-maintained swimming pools or the open ocean instead, use safe water for bathing (filtered, heated or treated).
Non-infectious conditions
Crime and unrest
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Before travelling, it's a good idea to check the Australian government's Smartraveller website. This site has all the up to date information about safety issues you'll need for your trip planning.
A times, civil unrest, violent protests, and the risk of violent crime can result in travel warnings for Tanzania.
Altitude sickness
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Altitude sickness is a significant health risk for travellers to Tanzania who plan to visit high-altitude regions, particularly Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain at 5,895 metres. Trekkers and climbers ascending Kilimanjaro or other elevated areas such as Mount Meru may develop acute mountain sickness (AMS), especially if they ascend too quickly without proper acclimatisation. AMS affects a large proportion of climbers on Kilimanjaro, with mild symptoms reported in many individuals above 3,000 metres.
Common symptoms of altitude sickness include headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath on exertion, and loss of appetite. Mild symptoms often improve within 12 to 48 hours if climbers pause their ascent and allow time for acclimatisation. However, altitude sickness can progress to more serious and potentially fatal conditions, including high altitude cerebral oedema (HACE), which affects the brain and may cause confusion, difficulty walking, and altered behaviour, and high altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPE), which affects the lungs and leads to breathlessness at rest, persistent cough, chest tightness, and respiratory distress. These severe forms of altitude illness are more likely at elevations above 4,000 metres and require immediate descent and urgent medical care.
To reduce the risk of altitude sickness in Tanzania, travellers should choose longer trekking itineraries on Mount Kilimanjaro that allow for gradual ascent and better acclimatisation. Avoiding rapid altitude gains, staying well hydrated, and pacing physical activity are essential preventive measures. A travel health professional may recommend preventive medications and advise carrying treatment medication for high-altitude trekking. All climbers on Mount Kilimanjaro are required to be accompanied by licensed guides, and travelling with experienced guides who are trained to recognise and manage altitude illness is critical for safety. Learning the early warning signs of altitude sickness, avoiding sleeping at higher elevations when symptoms are present, and descending immediately if symptoms worsen are key strategies for safe high-altitude travel in Tanzania.
Deep vein thrombosis
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Long-haul flights to Tanzania and extended road travel increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). DVT occurs when slowed blood flow allows clots to form in deep veins, usually in the legs. To reduce risk, maintain adequate hydration and move around regularly during long journeys. Travellers with additional risk factors may benefit from wearing below-knee compression stockings.
Safety on the roads and elsewhere
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Road conditions in Tanzania vary, and traffic accidents are a common cause of injury. Choose reputable transport providers, wear seatbelts when available, and avoid night driving where possible. Motorbike travel should only be undertaken by experienced riders wearing helmets.
When hiking, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, or visiting national parks, follow local safety advice, use appropriate guides, wear suitable footwear, apply sunscreen and insect repellent, and stay within your physical limits. Comprehensive travel insurance covering medical care and evacuation is strongly recommended.