Despite what has appeared on social media pages of dubious credibility and been reposted by many, and despite the recommendations of Italian doctors who are poorly informed or prefer to err on the side of caution, even for this season, as has been the case since the post-COVID period, no vaccinations are mandatory for travel to Kenya. Even among those recommended (such as yellow fever), there is no evidence of necessity.

Yellow fever, in particular, has not been reported in the country for years and has not been mandatory since 1989. It is only required for those arriving from countries where it is mandatory and still present, such as Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Congo.

In the case of airport transit from these countries, it is only necessary if the stopover lasts more than 12 hours.

We discuss malaria in detail in other articles in the HEALTH INFO section, in one of the boxes that you will find by scrolling down the page.

In any case, malindikenya.net and the most experienced tropical doctors in Africa openly advise against prophylaxis, which does not completely cover the risk and is harmful to health.

Some health warnings on the internet are based on information from twenty or thirty years ago. Kenya has evolved since then, but not for many doctors or local health workers.

As far as local treatment is concerned, the best thing to do is to go to a pharmacy and see how many “quick fixes” are available for each condition.

For example, with regard to malaria, all local pharmacies now sell artemisinin-based products, which work ‘the day after’ and render prophylaxis, which is already harmful to health, now useless. The medicine is called Coartem and is not available in Italy.

In some areas of Kenya, which are rarely visited by foreign travelers, there may be isolated outbreaks of cholera, especially in the Lake Victoria area. As in particularly humid areas, such as lakes and marshy inlets, tsetse flies proliferate.

It is worth noting that there have never been any cases of Western Nile fever in Kenya.

Westerners are at risk of contracting gastrointestinal viruses such as jardia, amoeba, and intestinal parasites.

As in many other countries around the world, it is recommended to wash uncooked food (fruit and vegetables) thoroughly and not to drink tap water.

Be careful with food bought from street stalls, fish, and raw shellfish, unless it is clearly freshly caught.

Ice in Kenyan establishments may also be made with tap water, so it is best to avoid it (or ask).

Finally, there are reports of Chikungunya, another virus contracted from mosquitoes. Although present in Kenya, it is less prevalent than the so-called “bone-breaking virus” that is being reported. Outbreaks have not been reported in Watamu or other tourist destinations, but mainly in the suburbs of Mombasa and in marshy areas of the coastal hinterland.