Physician-authored guides on vaccines, medications, and staying healthy abroad.
Cipro vs azithromycin for traveler's diarrhea — our clinical team breaks down dosing, resistance patterns, side effects, and which antibiotic we prescribe by destination.
Cameroon carries malaria risk in every region of the country, including Yaounde and Douala, and the World Health Organization named it one of just 11 countries in its High Burden to High Impact initiative, a group that together accounts for roughly 70% of malaria cases worldwide. Proof of yellow fever vaccination is required for entry regardless of where travelers are arriving from, and northern Cameroon sits inside the African meningitis belt. Our clinical team prescribes Malarone (atovaquone-proguanil) for essentially every Cameroon itinerary, reviews the current State Department advisory region by region, and flags altitude preparation for anyone climbing Mount Cameroon, an active volcano that tops 13,000 feet. Start your visit on Wandr before you fly.
Benin carries high, year-round malaria risk across the entire country, including the capital Cotonou, and nearly all cases are chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum. The U.S. government rates Benin a Level 2 travel advisory overall, rising to Level 4, Do Not Travel for Park Pendjari, Park W, and the northeastern border with Nigeria, citing extremist attacks and kidnapping risk. Benin also has a documented history of Lassa fever outbreaks, including a confirmed cluster of at least 6 cases in Boko in August 2023. Our clinical team prescribes atovaquone-proguanil for malaria prevention here. Start your visit on Wandr before you finalize a Benin itinerary, especially one that includes the north.
Comoros carries malaria risk on all three islands year-round, heaviest on Grande Comore, and almost all cases are chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum. The U.S. State Department raised Comoros to a Level 2 travel advisory on January 12, 2026, citing limited healthcare capacity, petty crime, and episodic civil unrest. The World Health Organization logged 4 confirmed chikungunya cases in Comoros between January and May 2025, a small count next to the much larger regional surge: La Reunion reported 54,517 confirmed cases and 40 deaths by mid-September 2025, and neighboring Mayotte logged 1,255 locally acquired cases. Our clinical team prescribes atovaquone-proguanil for malaria prevention here. Start your visit on Wandr before you book inter-island ferries between Grande Comore, Anjouan, and Moheli.
Eswatini's malaria risk is not nationwide: it concentrates in the eastern and northern Lubombo lowveld below roughly 1,000 meters, where the country's health ministry reported 360 cases and five deaths as the 2025 rainy season began, including a concerning rise in locally transmitted cases. The highveld tourist corridor, including the capital Mbabane at 1,209 meters and the Ezulwini Valley, carries very low risk. Our clinical team prescribes atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone) for lowveld and safari itineraries, including Hlane Royal National Park, and skips it for highveld-only trips. Standard traveler's diarrhea coverage and routine vaccines still apply everywhere. Start your visit on Wandr before you fly.
The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) carries no malaria risk, so our clinical team does not prescribe antimalarials for this trip. The bigger 2026 story is a run of outbreaks in Pohnpei State: pertussis reached 40 cumulative cases since January 5, 2026, and a separate norovirus outbreak detected January 28, 2026 hospitalized 83% of its 18 confirmed cases and caused two pediatric deaths, according to Pacific regional disease surveillance. FSM's four states (Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae) have a combined population of roughly 113,700 people across 702 square kilometers, and Chuuk Lagoon's only recompression chamber is privately owned and not always staffed. The US State Department rates FSM Level 1, Exercise Normal Precautions. Our clinical team recommends hepatitis A and typhoid vaccination, mosquito-bite prevention, and a prepared medication kit. Start your visit on Wandr before you fly.
Gabon carries hyperendemic malaria risk nationwide, with Plasmodium falciparum responsible for more than 90% of infections and a 2023 peer-reviewed study finding 43.45% of a Libreville sample testing positive. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for all travelers age 1 year and older. The U.S. government rates Gabon a Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution advisory, marked deteriorating as of March 2026, citing civil unrest, crime, and limited healthcare outside major cities. Gabon's rainforests also carry a documented filovirus history, including Ebola outbreaks in 1996 and 2001-2002 and an imported 2024 mpox case that national health officials contained at two total cases with zero deaths. Our clinical team prescribes atovaquone-proguanil for malaria prevention here. Start your visit on Wandr before you finalize a Gabon itinerary.
Guinea carries malaria risk in all areas of the country, with the World Health Organization estimating roughly 4.2 million cases and over 10,000 deaths in 2024 alone, and a yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for entry. Guinea's Gueckedou forest region is where the 2014 to 2016 West African Ebola epidemic, the deadliest in history, began, and the same region confirmed the first-ever Marburg virus case in West Africa in 2021. As of early 2026, Guinea's health security agency is tracking four active outbreaks at once: mpox, diphtheria, measles, and Lassa fever. Our clinical team prescribes atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone) for essentially every Guinea itinerary and reviews the current State Department advisory before your trip. Start your visit on Wandr before you fly.
Kiribati has no malaria transmission, so our clinical team does not prescribe antimalarials for travelers heading there, unlike many of its Pacific neighbors. The bigger issue right now is dengue: an outbreak that began in April 2025 has reached 2,165 cumulative cases as of mid-June 2026, concentrated in South Tarawa, according to regional Pacific health surveillance reporting. Kiribati is also one of the most geographically dispersed nations on Earth, 33 atolls spread across roughly 3.5 million square kilometers of ocean, served by a single referral hospital on Tarawa. The US State Department rates Kiribati at Level 1, Exercise Normal Precautions, but still advises travelers to bring their own medication supply. Our clinical team recommends hepatitis A vaccination, careful water precautions, and a prepared medication kit for traveler's diarrhea and nausea. Start your visit on Wandr before you fly.
Lesotho is the world's most elevated country, sitting entirely above 1,000 meters, and the World Health Organization certified it malaria-free in 2012. The real health risk here is altitude: the Sani Pass border post reaches 2,876 meters and the Afriski ski resort sits near 3,200 meters, both well above the roughly 2,500-meter threshold where acute mountain sickness becomes a genuine concern, especially for travelers who drive up in a single day instead of acclimatizing gradually. Our clinical team prescribes acetazolamide (Diamox) for Lesotho's high-altitude routes, reviews the current State Department advisory, and still recommends standard traveler's diarrhea coverage. Start your visit on Wandr before you fly.
Liberia carries malaria risk in all areas of the country, and a yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for travelers arriving from at-risk countries. The CDC's own case counts show Liberia recorded 10,675 Ebola cases and 4,809 deaths during the 2014 to 2016 West African epidemic, the highest death toll of any country in that outbreak despite Sierra Leone recording more total cases. In January 2026, the CDC issued a Level 2 travel health advisory for Liberia over a sustained mpox outbreak that has produced over 1,300 confirmed cases since September 2024. Our clinical team prescribes atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone) for essentially every Liberia itinerary and reviews the current CDC and State Department guidance before your trip. Start your visit on Wandr before you fly.
The Marshall Islands carry no malaria risk, so our clinical team does not prescribe antimalarials for this trip. The real concern right now is dengue: the Ministry of Health and Human Services declared an active outbreak on Majuro Atoll on August 21, 2026, after routine surveillance first flagged it on August 15. As of August 20, 8 of 23 people tested were positive, with no deaths reported and cases clustered among people in their 20s. The CDC's Level 1 Global Dengue Notice lists the Marshall Islands as of its September 3, 2026 review. The country spans 29 atolls and 5 islands across roughly 181 square kilometers of land, and Ebeye, on Kwajalein Atoll, is one of the most densely populated islands in the Pacific. The US State Department rates the Marshall Islands Level 1, Exercise Normal Precautions. Our clinical team recommends hepatitis A and typhoid vaccination, mosquito-bite prevention, and a prepared medication kit. Start your visit on Wandr before you fly.
Nauru carries no malaria risk, so our clinical team does not prescribe antimalarials for travelers heading there. The real concern right now is dengue: an outbreak that began in mid-2025 has reached more than 220 confirmed cases, including two deaths, a 15-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl, both on July 31, 2025, according to Pacific regional health reporting. The World Health Organization has called the broader Pacific outbreak the largest in the region in at least a decade. Nauru is also the world's third-smallest country, home to roughly 12,000 people and served by a single hospital. The US State Department rates Nauru Level 1, Exercise Normal Precautions. Our clinical team recommends hepatitis A vaccination, mosquito-bite prevention, and a prepared medication kit for traveler's diarrhea and nausea. Start your visit on Wandr before you fly.
Palau has no malaria risk, according to the CDC's country-by-country malaria table, and requires no yellow fever vaccination for direct US travelers. The bigger story most guides miss: Palau logged its first dengue cases in more than a decade in 2025, climbing from 6 confirmed infections in July to at least 26 by early September, with travelers carrying the virus on to Guam and Saipan. Palau is also one of the world's premier dive destinations, and unlike several other Pacific nations in this series, it has an operational hyperbaric decompression chamber at Belau National Hospital in Koror. The US State Department rates Palau at Level 1, Exercise Normal Precautions, updated January 7, 2026. Our clinical team prescribes azithromycin for traveler's diarrhea and ondansetron, never ibuprofen, for dengue-associated nausea. Start your visit on Wandr before you fly.
Papua New Guinea carries a high malaria risk nationwide, and our clinical team prescribes atovaquone-proguanil for most travelers heading there. According to a June 2026 Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance (APLMA) analysis of the WHO World Malaria Report 2025, the country recorded 910,747 indigenous malaria cases in 2024, a decade high and a 162.9% increase since 2015, with an Annual Parasite Incidence of 102.5, the second-highest in the Asia-Pacific region. Papua New Guinea is also one of the World Health Organization's 2026 high-burden countries for tuberculosis and drug-resistant TB. The US State Department rates the country Level 3, Reconsider Travel, citing crime, civil unrest, and limited healthcare outside Port Moresby. Our clinical team recommends antimalarials, hepatitis A and typhoid vaccination, and a prepared medication kit well before departure. Start your visit on Wandr before you fly.
Samoa has no malaria, but the independent Pacific nation is in the middle of one of its largest recorded dengue epidemics: 20,131 clinically diagnosed cases and 9 deaths since January 2025, per the Ministry of Health's August 2026 situation report, with children under 15 making up 73% of cases. The CDC's Global Dengue travel health notice, updated July 30, 2026, lists Samoa among active destinations. Samoa requires no yellow fever vaccination and is recognized as a rabies-free country. The US State Department rates Samoa at Level 1, Exercise Normal Precautions. Our clinical team prescribes azithromycin for traveler's diarrhea and ondansetron for dengue-related nausea, never ibuprofen, since NSAIDs raise bleeding risk in dengue. Start your visit on Wandr before you fly.
Sierra Leone carries malaria risk nationwide, with the World Health Organization putting 100% of the population at risk and routine surveillance recording roughly 1.77 million cases in 2022 alone. Proof of yellow fever vaccination is required for entry, and the country sits inside the Lassa fever hyperendemic zone, with the CDC confirming Sierra Leone recorded more Ebola cases (14,124) than any other country during the 2014 to 2016 West African epidemic, the deadliest in history. Our clinical team prescribes Malarone (atovaquone-proguanil) for essentially every Sierra Leone itinerary, reviews the current State Department advisory, and flags traveler's diarrhea prevention given the region's high attack rates. Start your visit on Wandr before you fly.
The Solomon Islands has malaria risk nationwide, according to the CDC's country-by-country malaria table, with Plasmodium vivax causing about 70% of cases and a rising share of more dangerous P. falciparum that the country's own Health Minister has called alarming. The bigger surprise for divers: Honiara's only recompression chamber was damaged beyond repair in 2022 and has not been replaced, so the nearest working chamber for decompression illness is in Brisbane, Australia, a serious consideration for anyone planning to dive the WWII wrecks of Iron Bottom Sound. The US State Department rates the Solomon Islands at Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, updated April 29, 2025, citing health risks, unexploded WWII ordnance, petty crime, and civil unrest. Our clinical team prescribes atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone) for malaria prevention and azithromycin for traveler's diarrhea. Start your visit on Wandr before you fly.
Togo carries malaria risk across the entire country, with the CDC listing transmission as present nationwide and chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum responsible for most infections. A 2024 peer-reviewed study found the artemisinin-resistance marker Pfkelch13 in only 0.8% of sampled parasites, meaning first-line antimalarial treatment remains effective here. The U.S. State Department rates Togo a Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution advisory, updated July 30, 2026, with a Level 4, Do Not Travel designation for the Savanes region and areas north of Kande due to terrorism and kidnapping risk, the same region where the World Health Organization confirmed a fatal Lassa fever case in 2022. A yellow fever certificate is required for travelers age 9 months and older. Our clinical team prescribes atovaquone-proguanil for malaria prevention here. Start your visit on Wandr before you finalize a Togo itinerary.
Tonga has no malaria, but the Pacific kingdom has now had two separate dengue outbreaks in roughly a year: a 2025 outbreak with more than 900 cases and 3 deaths over five months, and a second outbreak declared April 16, 2026 that grew past 70 confirmed cases and 29 hospitalizations before the Ministry of Health declared it over on July 31, 2026, with zero deaths. Tonga requires no yellow fever vaccination for direct US travelers and has no CDC-documented rabies-free designation, so standard bite precautions still apply. The Australian government also flags a gap that matters for Tonga's famous July-to-October humpback whale swimming season: the country has no decompression chamber, so serious diving injuries are evacuated to New Zealand. Our clinical team prescribes azithromycin for traveler's diarrhea and ondansetron for nausea, never ibuprofen if dengue is suspected. Start your visit on Wandr before you fly.
