Vaccines/Prophylaxis

Call or visit your physician or a local travel clinic to find out which vaccines you will need in preparation for your trip. At the present time, ASYV recommends the following (required for Service Learning participants):

• Tetanus

• Hepatitis A

• Typhoid

• Malaria Prophylactic Prescribed

• Recommended, but not required: Mpox (JYNNEOS) vaccine (two doses is ideal but one is better than zero)

* A note about Yellow Fever: The CDC no longer recommends the yellow fever vaccine for most travelers to Rwanda, however, if you are traveling to Rwanda via another endemic country (see here), you may be required by that country to obtain the vaccine.

** A note about malaria: All areas of Rwanda carry a medium- to high-risk of exposure to malaria. Malaria is a serious condition and carries a risk of death if untreated. It is strongly recommended that foreigners traveling to Rwanda take anti-malarial medication to reduce their risk as much as possible.

Consult your doctor to determine which malaria prophylactic is right for you.

Malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes. Common symptoms include fever, chills, headache, body ache, nausea, and fatigue. Symptoms usually do not appear for seven to nine days after exposure, but if any of the above symptoms appear, regardless of timing, contact a doctor immediately. Malaria may manifest up to a year after travel to a high-risk zone. Additionally, follow these basic precautions while visiting Rwanda:

• Turn on the mosquito repellent switch in your room for a few hours during the day. If applicable, sleep with a bed net (some beds at Agahozo-Shalom are outfitted with permethrin-treated nets)

• Wear long pants and long-sleeves after dark; the time of highest risk for being bitten by mosquitoes is after the sun sets.

• Use insect repellent with a high level of DEET (especially if you are prone to mosquito bites).