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Travel health · China

Chinatravel vaccines & health advice · from Calgary

The Great Wall, Xi’an, the Yangtze — and for a lot of Calgary families, a grandmother’s kitchen in a city no guidebook lists. The vaccine list for China is short. What changes it is not which sights you see but where you sleep and eat.

The short version

Most travellers to China need 4 vaccines, and six weeks is enough time to do it properly.

Leaving sooner? Most of it can still be done — we prioritise what matters for your route. Nobody gets turned away for booking late.

What you’ll need

Recommended for essentially everyone going to China.

  1. Hepatitis A

    Food and water, and the one both sources recommend without hedging. CDC recommends it for unvaccinated travellers aged one year and over going to China; the Government of Canada for all travellers to areas where hepatitis A is present. It is worth saying plainly that CDC also notes tap water is not drinkable in China even in major cities — a modern skyline does not settle this question.

    Any time before you fly. One dose covers the trip; a second, six months later, covers decades.

  2. Typhoid — the one the two sources argue about

    CDC recommends it for most travellers to China, especially anyone staying with friends or relatives or visiting smaller cities and rural areas. The Government of Canada says the risk is low for most travellers and that a vaccine may be recommended for some, depending on their risk — while naming people visiting friends or relatives among those more likely to become seriously ill. So they disagree about the average tourist and agree about the person staying in a relative’s home. Tell us which one you are.

    At least two weeks before departure. The oral capsules take a week to finish.

  3. Hepatitis B

    Blood and bodily fluids — medical or dental care abroad, tattoos, piercings, acupuncture, an injury you did not plan. For China the two sources land in the same place with no age qualifier at all: CDC recommends it for unvaccinated travellers of all ages, the Government of Canada for all travellers. Many Canadians already have it from the school programme, so the first thing we do is look.

    The standard course runs over months. Faster schedules exist — bring your dates.

  4. Routine vaccines, and measles in particular

    Tetanus, measles-mumps-rubella, polio, diphtheria, chickenpox, shingles where applicable. CDC asks travellers to be up to date before every trip and carries a global measles notice asking every international traveller to be fully vaccinated at least two weeks before departure. The Government of Canada links its own measles advice for travellers from the China page.

    Tetanus if it has been more than ten years — which for most adults it has. Measles needs two weeks to count.

When do you leave?

The honest answer to “am I too late?” depends on the date. Put yours in and we’ll work backwards. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Depends on your trip

Worth a conversation — the answer changes with where you’re going and what you’ll be doing.

  • RabiesCDC says dogs infected with rabies are commonly found in China — and also that vaccines are usually available there if you are bitten
  • Japanese encephalitisa month or more, repeat trips, rural stays — CDC says not for short urban travel
  • Tick-borne encephalitisforests, April to November; the Government of Canada says the vaccine is not available in Canada
  • A plan for the altitudeTibet, Qinghai, western Sichuan and parts of Xinjiang are above 3,000 metres

Every vaccine, and whether you need it

The full list for China. Most people need the first two or three; the rest depend on where you are going and for how long.

Hepatitis AAlmost everyone

Spread through contaminated food and water. CDC recommends it for unvaccinated travellers aged one year and over going to China, and says infants aged 6 to 11 months should also be vaccinated before travel — that early dose does not count towards the routine two-dose series. The Government of Canada recommends it for all travellers to areas where hepatitis A is present. CDC also notes that travellers allergic to a vaccine component can be given immune globulin instead, and that unvaccinated travellers over 40, immunocompromised, or with chronic conditions who are leaving in under two weeks should have the first dose and immune globulin at the same appointment.

TyphoidAlmost everyone

Bacterial infection from contaminated food and water. This is where our two sources part company. CDC recommends it for most travellers to China, especially those staying with friends or relatives or visiting smaller cities or rural areas. The Government of Canada says there is a risk but that it is low for most travellers, and that a vaccine is available and may be recommended for some, depending on their risk — while listing young children, older adults, people visiting friends or relatives and people with weakened immune systems among those more likely to become seriously ill. We show you both and decide with you. Injection or oral capsules; the capsules take a week to finish.

Hepatitis BAlmost everyone

Spread through blood and bodily fluids — medical or dental care, tattoos, piercings, acupuncture, unplanned injuries. For China the sources agree without any age cut-off: CDC recommends it for unvaccinated travellers of all ages travelling to China, and the Government of Canada recommends it for all travellers, noting hepatitis B is a risk in every destination. Many Canadians already have it from the routine school programme, so we check the record first.

Routine vaccines (Tdap, MMR, polio, varicella)Almost everyone

CDC asks travellers to be up to date on routine vaccines before every trip — chickenpox, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, influenza, measles-mumps-rubella, polio and shingles where applicable. The Government of Canada asks the same, adding meningococcal disease and seasonal flu to the list it names. Tetanus is the one that lapses quietly.

MeaslesAlmost everyone

CDC carries a global measles travel notice: cases are rising in many countries, and all international travellers should be fully vaccinated with MMR at least two weeks before departure, including an early dose for infants aged 6 to 11 months. The Government of Canada links its measles advice for travellers directly from the China page. Two weeks is the part that catches people out.

COVID-19Usually recommended

CDC advises all eligible travellers to be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines. The Government of Canada asks you to discuss the vaccine with a healthcare provider before travelling. Entry rules change; we check the current position rather than repeat last season’s.

RabiesDepends on your trip

CDC states plainly that dogs infected with rabies are commonly found in China and that it is present in some land wildlife — and, importantly for the decision, that rabies vaccines are typically available throughout most of the country if an exposure happens. CDC bases the pre-travel vaccine on whether your work or activities increase the chance of meeting a rabid animal and whether you could get prompt access to safe treatment. The Government of Canada lists veterinarians and wildlife workers, children, adventure travellers and cave explorers, and anyone in close contact with animals among those at higher risk, and says treatment to prevent rabies is often available in China.

Japanese encephalitisDepends on your trip

CDC recommends it for people moving to an area with Japanese encephalitis, spending a month or more there, or travelling to such areas frequently, and says to consider it for shorter stays that involve rural areas, hiking or camping, or accommodation without air conditioning, screens or bed nets. It is explicitly not recommended for short-term travel to urban areas. The Government of Canada calls the risk very low for most travellers, with higher risk for long stays of more than 30 days, repeat trips to endemic areas, extended periods in rural areas, outbreaks, and work with heavy mosquito exposure. On this one the two are close.

Tick-borne encephalitisDepends on your trip

CDC recommends the vaccine for people who will have extensive tick exposure based on their planned outdoor activities and itinerary, and says it may be considered for anyone who might be outdoors where ticks are found. The Government of Canada says TBE is a risk in some areas of China, that risk runs from April to November and is highest for people hiking or camping in forested areas, that it can occasionally be caught from unpasteurised milk products — and that the vaccine is not available in Canada, though it may be available at your destination. That last sentence is the one that matters for planning from Calgary.

ChikungunyaDepends on your trip

The two sources differ. CDC says all travellers should take steps to prevent mosquito bites and that chikungunya vaccination is generally not recommended, pointing travellers who want to consider it to its own guidance. The Government of Canada says there is a risk of chikungunya in China, varying by season, year, region and elevation, that a vaccine is approved in Canada, and that you should discuss the benefits and risks with a healthcare provider based on your age, itinerary and preferences. It also warns the joint pain can last months or years. Where two sources are this far apart it becomes a conversation about your trip rather than a rule.

Yellow feverDepends on your trip

Not a vaccine question for China — a paperwork one. The Government of Canada states there is no risk of yellow fever in China and that vaccination is not recommended; CDC likewise says the vaccine is not recommended. Both then note the entry rule: proof is required if you arrive from, or have transited an airport of, a country where yellow fever occurs. CDC adds the detail — required for travellers aged nine months and over, counting airport transits or layovers of more than twelve hours, and that itineraries limited to Hong Kong or Macao are exempt. Flying from Canada it does not apply. If your route strings other countries together, tell us the whole itinerary rather than the destination.

What to actually watch out for

Honest about the risks, and specific about what prevents each one.

Water and food

CDC states that tap water is not drinkable in China, even in major cities, and that bottled water is easily available. The Government of Canada calls travellers’ diarrhoea the most common illness affecting travellers, with young children, older people and anyone with existing health problems more at risk.

Prevention Bottled or boiled water including for brushing teeth, ice only where you would trust the kitchen, food cooked fresh and hot. Rehydration salts weigh nothing and we can send you with a standby antibiotic where appropriate.

Air pollution

The Government of Canada says air pollution can be severe across much of China, that levels change quickly, and that during severe episodes you should expect school closures, cancelled outdoor events, limits on car use and transport disruption. CDC’s China page does not cover this at all — it is the clearest example on this page of one source carrying something the other does not.

Prevention If you have asthma, COPD or heart disease, plan around it: extra reliever inhaler in your day bag rather than the suitcase, a well-fitted N95, and check the air quality index the way you would check the weather. Move sightseeing to the better part of the day and follow local instructions when an alert is in force.

High altitude

The Government of Canada names Tibet, Qinghai, western Sichuan and parts of Xinjiang as sitting above 3,000 metres, says high-altitude illnesses may occur there and that they can be fatal. Its trekking advice asks you to know the symptoms and to insure for helicopter rescue and medical evacuation. Much of that country is reached by air or fast train, so you arrive at altitude rather than climbing to it.

Prevention Build a slow first day into the itinerary and argue for it before the tour is booked, since Tibet must be visited on an organised tour. Know the symptoms: headache, nausea, breathlessness at rest, confusion. Descending is the treatment that always works. Altitude medication is prescribable by a pharmacist in Alberta — bring your route.

Rabies and animals

CDC says dogs infected with rabies are commonly found in China, with rabies also in some wildlife; the Government of Canada adds bats. Both note that treatment is generally available in the country, which is the reassuring half of the fact.

Prevention Do not touch or feed animals you do not know, supervise children closely around them, and stay out of caves where animal waste builds up. Any bite, scratch or lick on broken skin: wash for about fifteen minutes with soap and clean water, then medical care the same day, vaccinated or not.

Avian influenza

The Government of Canada reports human cases of avian influenza in China and carries a travel health notice about it, while saying the risk is low for most travellers. Higher risk goes with visiting live bird or animal markets and poultry farms, working with poultry, or handling wild birds and wild mammals. CDC’s China page does not raise it.

Prevention Avoid contact with live, farmed or dead birds and with surfaces that may carry droppings — a live-animal market is a photograph, not a walk-through. Make sure poultry, eggs and wild game are properly cooked. The seasonal flu shot does not prevent avian influenza, but the Government of Canada notes it reduces the chance of catching a human and an avian flu at once.

Dengue and other mosquito-borne illness

The Government of Canada says dengue is a risk to travellers in China, that risk varies by season, year, region and elevation, that it can become severe dengue which is sometimes fatal, and that no vaccine or medication to prevent it is available in Canada. The mosquitoes bite in daylight, particularly around sunrise and sunset. CDC also lists dengue and leishmaniasis, which is spread by sand flies, mostly between sunset and sunrise.

Prevention Repellent with 20% or more DEET, or picaridin, applied through the day rather than only in the evening. Long sleeves at dawn and dusk, air-conditioned or screened rooms, permethrin-treated clothing for rural stays.

Fresh water

CDC says schistosomiasis, a parasitic infection spread in fresh water, is found in China, and also lists leptospirosis, which is picked up from water or mud contaminated with animal urine and from floodwater. The Government of Canada is on the same page in general terms, advising you to keep water out of your eyes, mouth and nose when swimming in fresh water, especially after heavy rain or flooding.

Prevention No swimming, wading or washing in lakes, ponds, canals or rivers. Chlorinated pools and the sea are a different question. Avoid floodwater entirely — the typhoon and monsoon season runs April to October.

Tuberculosis

Both sources name TB. The Government of Canada says the risk is low for most travellers but lists travellers visiting friends and relatives among the high-risk group, alongside people visiting or working in hospitals, prisons, shelters and refugee camps, and asks higher-risk travellers to discuss pre- and post-travel options with a healthcare provider. CDC lists it as spread by breathing in the bacteria from someone contagious and advises avoiding people who are unwell.

Prevention For a short hotel-based trip this changes nothing. For a long stay in a household, or work in a healthcare setting, tell us at the appointment — it is a before-and-after conversation, not a vaccine you can pick up on the way out.

Getting treated

The Government of Canada says medical care is widely available in urban areas but not in remote ones, that clinics offering international-standard care to foreigners are much more expensive, that payment is expected at the time of service, and that medical evacuation can be very expensive. It asks you to have doctors and dentists use sterilised equipment. CDC advises carrying a card in the local language listing your blood type, chronic conditions, serious allergies and the generic names of your medicines.

Prevention Travel insurance including medical evacuation and hospital stays, with the policy number saved offline. Emergency numbers: 120 for an ambulance, 110 police, 119 fire. A card in Chinese characters listing your conditions and medicines is worth more than a phrasebook.

Roads

CDC names motor vehicle crashes the number one killer of healthy travellers abroad and advises avoiding driving at night where street lighting is poor. The Government of Canada says road conditions and safety vary greatly, drivers often do not respect the rules, and drivers do not always give pedestrians and cyclists the right of way. Canadian and international driving licences are not recognised in China.

Prevention Trains and licensed taxis or a reputable ride-hailing app rather than driving yourself. Have your hotel’s name and address written in Chinese characters — the Government of Canada notes most drivers speak neither English nor French. Seatbelts, back seat, and care crossing the road.

Staying well while you’re there

The things that prevent most travel illness are not medical.

Food and water

  • Bottled or boiled water, including for brushing teeth — tap water is not drinkable anywhere in China
  • Ice only where you would trust the kitchen
  • Freshly cooked and hot beats lukewarm and displayed
  • Peel fruit yourself
  • Rehydration salts in the bag

If Tibet or the west is on the plan

  • Permit and organised tour arranged before you pay in full
  • A slow first day written into the tour, not improvised
  • Know the symptoms: headache, nausea, breathlessness at rest, confusion
  • Insurance covering helicopter rescue and medical evacuation
  • Bring your internal flights to the appointment

Animals, birds and ticks

  • No touching or feeding dogs, and supervise children closely
  • Live bird and animal markets: look, do not wander through
  • Poultry, eggs and wild game properly cooked
  • Full-body tick check after every day in forest, April to November
  • Any bite or scratch: wash fifteen minutes, medical care the same day

Medicines and documents

  • Everything in original labelled packaging, in hand luggage
  • Enough for the trip plus extra for delays
  • Check anything unusual with the Chinese embassy before you pack it
  • A card in Chinese listing your conditions and generic medicine names
  • Insurance policy number saved offline; ambulance 120, police 110

Worth knowing

The answer changes when you say “we are staying with family”

This is the sentence that reorganises a China consultation, and it is the one people leave out because it does not feel like a risk factor. CDC recommends typhoid for most travellers to China and singles out those staying with friends or relatives or visiting smaller cities and rural areas. The Government of Canada calls typhoid risk low for most travellers — and in the same passage names people visiting friends or relatives among those more likely to become seriously ill. Its tuberculosis section names travellers visiting friends and relatives as a higher-risk group as well. And CDC removes the usual escape hatch with one line: tap water is not drinkable in China, even in major cities, though bottled water is easy to find. A week in a Beijing hotel and a month in a relative’s flat in a smaller city are genuinely different appointments. We would rather you told us which, than that we guessed from the country name.

Rabies: common in the dogs, and usually treatable where you are

CDC is unusually direct here — dogs infected with rabies are commonly found in China, and rabies is present in some wild land animals too. The Government of Canada agrees it is carried by dogs and some wildlife, including bats, and that it is almost always fatal once symptoms appear. But both sources also say something that changes the decision rather than raising the alarm: CDC notes that if an exposure happens, rabies vaccines are typically available throughout most of the country, and the Government of Canada says treatment to prevent rabies is often available in this destination. That is the opposite of a remote-jungle itinerary. CDC frames the pre-travel vaccine around two questions — whether your work or activities raise the chance of meeting a rabid animal, and whether you could reach safe treatment quickly. In a Chinese city the second answer is usually yes; on a long rural or cycling trip it may not be. Either way the plan after a bite is the same and matters more: wash the wound with soap and clean water for about fifteen minutes, then get medical care the same day, vaccinated or not. If you are treated in China, the Government of Canada asks you to bring home written records and photographs of the product labels, and to see someone here when you return.

Tibet is a permit — and it is also 3,000 metres

The Government of Canada notes that Tibet, Qinghai, western Sichuan and parts of Xinjiang sit above 3,000 metres, that high-altitude illnesses may occur there, and that they can be fatal. It also says unaccompanied private visits to Tibet are still prohibited: you need a permit and an organised tour, permits are sometimes suspended without notice, and entering a restricted area without one can mean a fine, custody or deportation. Those two facts belong together. On a tour you do not control the pace, so the acclimatisation has to be argued for before the itinerary is fixed, not improvised on day two. Its own trekking advice asks you to know the symptoms of high-altitude illness and to buy insurance that includes helicopter rescue and medical evacuation. Note also that its consular support in the Tibet Autonomous Region is limited. Altitude medication is prescribable by a pharmacist in Alberta, and we will work through whether your particular ascent calls for it — bring the internal flights.

One vaccine we cannot give you here

Both sources put tick-borne encephalitis in China. CDC says the vaccine is recommended for people who will have extensive tick exposure based on their outdoor plans, and may be considered for anyone likely to be in tick country. The Government of Canada says the risk runs from April to November, is highest for people who hike or camp in forested areas, and then adds the practical part: the vaccine is not available in Canada, though it may be available at your destination. So for a forest-and-camping itinerary the honest answer from Calgary is that we can plan the tick precautions with you but not hand you that particular vaccine. Covered skin, permethrin-treated clothing and a proper full-body tick check after every outdoor day are what is actually available to you. The Government of Canada also notes TBE can occasionally be picked up from unpasteurised milk products.

The medicines in your suitcase are the ones you will have

CDC’s advice for China is to bring the medicines you need with you rather than buy them there, and — the part people skip — to call China’s embassy to confirm that every prescription you are carrying is legal to bring in. That is not boilerplate worry: the Government of Canada says penalties for possession or use of illegal drugs, cannabis included, are severe, that the laws apply to anyone aged fourteen and over, that police run random urine and hair tests, and that authorities can prosecute on a positive test regardless of where or when the drug was taken — including something consumed legally in Canada before you flew. It also notes there are absolute prohibitions on importing drugs. Practically: keep everything in its original labelled packaging in hand luggage, carry a card listing your conditions and the generic names of your medicines, bring extra in case of delays, and check anything unusual with the embassy before you pack it.

Bringing the family

Most people booking a travel consult with us are sorting out a household, not just themselves. A few things are different for children.

One appointment can cover everyone

Bring the whole household to the same consultation. We review each person’s records separately but plan the trip as one, which usually means fewer visits and no repeated explanations. Tell us how many people when you book so we set aside the time.

Visiting family changes the advice

CDC singles out travellers staying with friends or relatives as a group for whom typhoid vaccination is especially recommended, and the Government of Canada names the same group among those more likely to become seriously ill from typhoid and at higher risk of tuberculosis. If your children are spending a month in a grandparent’s home in a smaller city, say so — it changes what we recommend more than the country name does.

Hepatitis A starts at twelve months

CDC recommends hepatitis A vaccination for unvaccinated travellers aged one year and over going to China, and says infants aged 6 to 11 months should also be vaccinated before travel. That earlier dose does not count towards the routine two-dose series, so it is repeated later.

Measles, and the two-week rule

CDC asks all international travellers to be fully vaccinated against measles at least two weeks before departure, including an early dose for infants aged 6 to 11 months. It is the routine one that actually circulates, and two weeks is the part families discover too late.

Rabies is the one that changes for children

The Government of Canada lists children among those at higher risk of rabies exposure and asks you to supervise them closely around animals. Small children approach dogs, are less likely to mention a scratch, and are more often bitten on the face or hands. Worth discussing per child rather than per family.

Winter air is a children’s question too

The Government of Canada says air pollution can be severe across much of China and that severe episodes bring school closures and cancelled outdoor events. If a child has asthma, that deserves a conversation before the dates are booked. Bring their inhaler plan to the appointment and we will work it through with the rest.

Common questions

Do I need malaria tablets for China?

For an ordinary trip, no. CDC’s vaccines and medicines list for China has no malaria entry and recommends no antimalarial drug, and the Government of Canada’s China page does not raise malaria at all. The one place the word appears is in CDC’s general advice about getting medical care abroad, which says malaria is a risk in some parts of China without naming an area or a medicine — a leftover we would rather show you than quietly delete. If your route takes you into remote rural areas near the southern borders, bring it up and we will look at it properly. Nobody should be selling you tablets for Beijing, Shanghai or Xi’an.

Do I need a yellow fever certificate for China?

Not flying from Canada. Both sources say there is no yellow fever risk in China and neither recommends the vaccine for the trip itself. It is only an entry-paperwork question: proof is required if you arrive from, or have transited an airport of, a country where yellow fever occurs. CDC puts that at travellers aged nine months and over, counts airport transits or layovers of more than twelve hours, and notes itineraries limited to Hong Kong or Macao are exempt. If your trip strings several countries together, tell us the whole route — this is the sort of thing that gets found at a check-in desk.

We are staying with family rather than in a hotel. Does that change anything?

Yes, and it is the single most useful thing you can tell us. CDC singles out travellers staying with friends or relatives as a group for whom typhoid vaccination is especially recommended. The Government of Canada, in the same breath as calling typhoid risk low for most travellers, lists people visiting friends or relatives among those more likely to become seriously ill — and separately names travellers visiting friends and relatives as a higher-risk group for tuberculosis. Longer stays, home cooking, smaller cities and less touristed areas add up differently from a hotel itinerary. It is also the detail people leave out, because visiting your own family does not feel like a risk factor.

What about typhoid — I have heard different things?

You have, and both positions are on this page rather than averaged into one. CDC recommends typhoid vaccination for most travellers to China, especially anyone staying with friends or relatives or visiting smaller cities and rural areas. The Government of Canada says the risk is low for most travellers and that the vaccine may be recommended for some, depending on their risk. Notice they are not really arguing about you: they both point at the person staying in a household outside the big tourist cities. A four-day business trip to Shanghai and a month with grandparents in a county town are different answers, and we will give you the one that fits.

Is a rabies vaccine worth it for China?

For most short trips, no — but read why, because it is not the usual reason. CDC says dogs infected with rabies are commonly found in China, which sounds like a yes. It then says that if an exposure happens, rabies vaccines are typically available throughout most of the country, and the Government of Canada agrees that treatment to prevent rabies is often available there. CDC bases the pre-travel vaccine partly on whether you could get prompt access to safe treatment, and in a Chinese city you usually could. Long rural stays, cycling trips, work with animals and small children shift the answer. Whatever we decide, the plan after a bite matters more: wash it for about fifteen minutes and get medical care the same day. If you are treated in China, the Government of Canada asks you to bring home written records and photographs of the product labels.

We are adding Tibet. Anything besides vaccines?

Two things, and they arrive together. The Government of Canada notes Tibet, Qinghai, western Sichuan and parts of Xinjiang are above 3,000 metres, that high-altitude illness may occur and can be fatal. It also says unaccompanied private visits to Tibet are prohibited — you need a permit and an organised tour, permits are sometimes suspended without notice, and entering restricted areas without one can mean a fine, custody or deportation. Because you are on a fixed tour, the slow first day has to be asked for before you book rather than arranged on the day. Altitude medication is prescribable by a pharmacist in Alberta and we can sort it at the same appointment as the vaccines. Bring the internal flights.

Can I bring my prescription medicines into China?

Bring them — but check the unusual ones first. CDC advises travelling with all the medicines you will need, including extra in case of delays, and specifically to call China’s embassy to verify that every prescription you are carrying is legal to bring in. The Government of Canada is blunt about why that matters: penalties for possession or use of illegal drugs, cannabis included, are severe, apply from age fourteen, police run random urine and hair tests, and authorities can prosecute on a positive result regardless of where or when the drug was taken — including something taken legally in Canada before departure. Keep everything in original labelled packaging in your hand luggage, and carry a card listing your conditions and the generic names of your medicines.

How much does the consultation cost?

Nothing. The travel consultation is free — a full itinerary review, every recommended vaccine discussed, and advice for your particular trip. You pay only for the vaccines actually given.

Sort it in one visit

Bring your travel dates. A pharmacist will go through what you need for China, give what can be given that day, and book anything that needs a second dose. No doctor referral, no wait list.

Book a travel consult for China403-910-3990

Written from current CDC and Government of Canada guidance, checked 31 July 2026. Advice for your particular trip comes from our pharmacist, in person.

Imagine Health Pharmacy & Travel Clinic — #4120, 15 Sunpark Plaza SE, Calgary, Alberta. In Sunpark Plaza, off Macleod Trail, serving Sundance, Midnapore, Shawnessy, Chaparral and the rest of south Calgary.

No doctor’s referral is needed. In Alberta a pharmacist can assess you, prescribe what your trip needs and give the vaccines in the same visit — so for most travellers this is one appointment, not a clinic queue and then a pharmacy.

Where this comes from

The vaccine guidance on this page follows the official recommendations below, read and applied by a pharmacist. Where the two differ we say so rather than pick one.

Checked against both sources on 31 July 2026. Official advice changes — if your trip is months away, check again or ask us.

Travelling to China?Free consultation · no referral needed
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