Philippines Travel Vaccines — What You Need in 2026

Recommended Vaccines

• Hepatitis A

  Allow 2 weeks before travel

• Typhoid

  Allow 2 weeks before travel

• Rabies

  Allow 4 weeks before travel

• Japanese Encephalitis

  Allow 4 weeks before travel

Routine Vaccines to Keep Up to Date

Other Health Risks

• Dengue
• Malaria (rural islands, not Manila/Cebu)

Travel Health Summary

The Philippines spreads over 7,000 islands, and the vaccine and malaria advice genuinely changes between them. Metro Manila, Cebu City, Boracay and Bohol are considered malaria-free, while CDC places ongoing transmission in rural Palawan, which carries the highest risk in the country, along with parts of Mindanao, Sulu and Mindoro, where antimalarial tablets are usually advised for overnight rural stays. Dengue is the dominant mosquito-borne illness nationwide, present year-round with a pronounced surge during the June-to-November rainy season, and outbreaks regularly affect cities as much as the countryside, so repellent and screened accommodation matter everywhere. Hepatitis A and typhoid are recommended for most travellers given the prevalence of foodborne and waterborne illness, and tap water should be treated as unsafe outside major hotels. Japanese encephalitis is a consideration for extended stays or rural, rice-growing and pig-farming areas, particularly in Luzon and the Visayas, and rabies is a real concern: the Philippines records hundreds of human deaths a year and post-exposure immunoglobulin is scarce outside Manila and Cebu, so pre-exposure vaccination is a common recommendation for long stays, cyclists and anyone working with animals. Typhoon season, strong currents and diving accidents account for more traveller emergencies than infections, and decompression chambers are limited to a handful of locations. Hospitals such as St. Luke's and Makati Medical Center in Manila are excellent, but island and remote-dive itineraries can be a long boat and flight from that care, which is why evacuation cover is strongly advised.

Related destinations

Nearby countries with a comparable vaccine and disease-risk profile to Philippines.