Health and vaccinations for travel to Cameroon

Yellow fever: the mandatory certificate

This is the only vaccination legally required to enter Cameroon, whatever country you are coming from. The international certificate of vaccination (the 'yellow card') is needed to obtain a visa on evisacam.cm and is then checked on arrival. The Institut Pasteur says a single dose is enough, given at least 10 days before departure, and that the certificate is valid for life: the old requirement for a booster every ten years has been dropped. The vaccine must be given at an approved yellow fever centre.

Other recommended vaccines

All of these bodies first ask travellers to be up to date with routine vaccines (diphtheria, tetanus, polio, whooping cough, measles). The others depend on how long you stay and how you travel: that is for a doctor to decide.

Polio: Cameroon was certified free of wild poliovirus by the WHO on 12 July 2020, France Diplomatie notes. The Canadian government points out, however, that the country is still covered by WHO temporary recommendations: a traveller staying more than four weeks may be required to receive a dose of polio vaccine 1 to 12 months before leaving, recorded on the international certificate.

Malaria: the main precaution

According to the Institut Pasteur, malaria is transmitted all year round throughout the country, overwhelmingly by Plasmodium falciparum. The CDC reports chloroquine resistance. Prevention rests on two pillars, according to France Diplomatie: protection against mosquito bites and preventive medication (chemoprophylaxis) prescribed before departure.

• Preventive medicines: the Institut Pasteur lists atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline or mefloquine; the CDC lists the same plus tafenoquine. The choice, dose and duration are for a doctor to decide.
• The US State Department recommends chemoprophylaxis for all travellers, even on short trips, along with repellent and an insecticide-treated net.
• Against bites, France Diplomatie advises long clothing, skin repellent, a treated mosquito net, air conditioning or diffusers, and getting rid of standing water.
• Any fever during the trip or in the three months after returning means seeing a doctor straight away, according to the Institut Pasteur.

Mosquitoes also carry dengue, chikungunya and Zika, against which bite prevention is the main defence.

Water, food and cholera

France Diplomatie advises drinking only sealed bottled water or water made safe (filtered or boiled), washing your hands often, eating thoroughly cooked food, peeling fruit and avoiding raw vegetables, shellfish, reheated dishes and cold buffets. The Canadian government notes that travellers' diarrhoea is the most common illness among travellers and that staying hydrated comes first. It also warns that power cuts, frequent and sometimes lasting more than eight hours, can disrupt the water supply.

Cholera, a disease of poor hygiene, spreads through contaminated water or food. According to France Diplomatie, a first confirmed case was declared on 9 November 2025 in the Mayo Oulo district, between Garoua and Maroua, and the outbreak was still affecting the North and Far North regions at its update of 30 September 2026. Both regions are also advised against for security reasons (see the safety page).

Recent outbreaks (2025-2026)

France Diplomatie also mentions meningitis, whose epidemic season runs from November to June in the East, Adamawa, North and Far North, and advises against the border areas of the South region after deaths from Marburg virus were reported in neighbouring Equatorial Guinea. These alerts change quickly: check them just before you travel.

Getting treatment: hospitals and phone numbers

All three governments consulted describe limited healthcare. The UK Foreign Office calls emergency facilities 'extremely limited' and says serious treatment will require evacuation to Europe; the US State Department notes that trauma and ambulance services are not widely available, that hospitals often require payment up front and in cash, and that there is no single national number for medical emergencies. Canada says good-quality care is limited to Yaoundé and Douala.

• In Yaoundé, the main public hospitals are the Central Hospital (founded in 1933, 650 beds, the largest in the country according to Wikipedia), the General Hospital (founded in 1985, a referral hospital and the only dialysis centre in the Centre region according to Wikipedia) and the University Teaching Hospital (CHU).
• In Douala, the public referral hospitals are the General Hospital and Laquintinie Hospital, according to Wikipedia's list of hospitals in Cameroon.
• Useful numbers given by France Diplomatie: Cameroun Sanitaire Assistance in Douala (+237 233 42 14 14), Centre Pasteur in Garoua (+237 222 27 22 22), medical and social centre in Yaoundé (+237 222 23 01 39).
• Ambulance: 112 according to the UK Foreign Office and the US State Department ('in major cities'); 119 for medical assistance according to Canada. The State Department also gives +237 222 22 25 25 in Yaoundé. The sources do not agree: see the table on the safety page.
• The State Department notes that injured travellers often prefer to get to hospital by taxi or private car rather than wait for an ambulance, and that embassies keep lists of doctors.

Travel insurance and repatriation

France Diplomatie considers it 'essential' to have insurance covering all medical costs, including surgery and hospital stays, and medical repatriation, without which care may be refused even in a life-threatening emergency; the embassy does not cover these costs. The US State Department advises checking that a policy actually pays for evacuation, as some only offer 'assistance' in arranging it. The UK Foreign Office warns that insurance may be invalidated if you travel to an area it advises against. For a long-stay visa, evisacam.cm also requires a repatriation guarantee.

Medicines and pharmacies

• Never buy medicines on the street: France Diplomatie warns of counterfeits.
• Bring your medicines in their original packaging, with a prescription giving the international non-proprietary name (INN), and check that they are allowed in Cameroon.
• The US State Department warns of possible shortages of some medicines and medical supplies: bring enough with you.
• The UK Foreign Office notes a risk of altitude sickness in parts of the country.

Frequently asked questions