Overview
Brazil is a huge country where malaria is concentrated in the Amazon basin, while the major tourist cities (Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Brasília, Salvador, Recife) are malaria-free. Yellow fever is recommended for almost the whole country, except part of the northeastern coast and the cities of Salvador, Recife and Fortaleza.
Recommended vaccines
Malaria by region
Preventive tablets are advised in the high-risk Amazon zone, alongside bite protection. In the low-to-moderate zones, mosquito-bite protection is usually enough, with tablets for the most exposed travellers.
Malaria risk is regional, concentrated in the areas detailed below.
The Amazon basin: parts of the states of Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Roraima, and parts of the northeast and southwest of Pará state.
The rest of Amapá, Pará, Rondônia and western Mato Grosso, parts of Amazonas, the city centres of Boa Vista, Manaus and Porto Velho, and the rest of the country (including the Pantanal, Iguaçu Falls, Santarém and Macapá): low-to-moderate risk depending on the exact area.
The major cities: Brasília, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, São Paulo and Vitória.
Other health risks
Risks by region
Amazon basin (Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Roraima, north/southwest Pará)
The highest malaria-risk zone, where yellow fever is also recommended.
Cities and the centre and south (Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Brasília, the Pantanal, Iguaçu)
Low-to-no malaria risk; yellow fever is still recommended across most of these areas.
The northeastern coast (Salvador, Recife, Fortaleza)
Malaria-free and outside the recommended zone for yellow fever.
Prepare your trip
Leaving in under 2 weeks? Still book a clinic: a first hepatitis A dose already protects, and yellow fever needs at least 10 days. A travel clinic will prioritise what fits your timeline.
Frequently asked questions
Is any vaccine required for Brazil?
No vaccine is required for entry from Belgium, but yellow fever is strongly recommended for risk regions.
Is there a malaria risk?
Malaria: high risk depending on the region. Preventive tablets are advised in the high-risk Amazon zone, alongside bite protection. In the low-to-moderate zones, mosquito-bite protection is usually enough, with tablets for the most exposed travellers.
How far ahead of departure should I start?
Ideally 6 to 8 weeks before departure, to complete multi-dose schedules. Yellow fever, where it applies, must be given at least 10 days before arrival.
Our sources
Indicative information for a typical traveller, not medical advice. What you need depends on your itinerary, region, season and duration. See an approved travel clinic 6–8 weeks before departure: only they can give yellow fever and issue the certificate.