Being aware of special medical considerations is one of the most significant preliminary steps in planning your African safari. Due to the transient nature of vaccination requirements, it is strongly recommended that you visit the CDC’s traveler website to familiarize yourself with needed vaccinations.

You can search for your particular destination’s vaccination requirements and suggestions at the following URL:

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/list

Anyone traveling to Southern Africa should always be advised to counteract the threat of contracting malaria. Oral tablet prophylactics should be taken as a preventative measure. Simply avoid mosquito bites during your stay in Africa.

If you happen to be traveling from a region where yellow fever is a known concern, you are legally required to obtain an inoculation against the disease before entering Southern Africa.

Be sure you are up to date on the following routine vaccines: measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, chickenpox vaccine, and the polio vaccine.

The CDC recommends the Hepatitis A and Typhoid vaccines if you’re traveling to Botswana. You can contract either of these conditions through contaminated food or water regardless of where you’re eating or staying.

As the old saying goes, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. You will thank yourself for taking to time to plan for disease prevention on your vacation.