Travel health · Thailand
Islands, temples and night markets. Mostly a food-and-water trip, with two things that depend entirely on where in the country you go.
The short version
Most travellers to Thailand need 3 vaccines, and four to 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.
Recommended for essentially everyone going to Thailand.
Food and water. The Government of Canada recommends it for all travellers to Thailand, and CDC for anyone unvaccinated over the age of one — resort included, because the vaccine does not know where you ate.
Any time before you fly. One dose protects for the trip; the second, six months later, protects for decades.
Also food and water. This is the one where the two official sources disagree, and we would rather tell you than pick quietly — see below.
At least two weeks before departure. Oral capsules need a week to finish.
Tetanus, measles-mumps-rubella, polio and diphtheria. CDC asks every traveller to be current before every trip, and specifically asks international travellers to be fully vaccinated against measles at least two weeks before departure.
Tetanus if it has been more than ten years — which for most adults it has.
The honest answer to “am I too late?” depends on the date. Put yours in and we’ll work backwards. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Worth a conversation — the answer changes with where you’re going and what you’ll be doing.
The full list for Thailand. Most people need the first two or three; the rest depend on where you are going and for how long.
Spread through contaminated food and water. CDC recommends it for unvaccinated travellers aged one year and older, and notes that infants aged 6–11 months should also be vaccinated. The Government of Canada recommends it for all travellers to Thailand. Travellers over 40, immunocompromised, or with chronic medical conditions who are leaving in less than two weeks may be given immune globulin alongside the first dose.
Also food and water. CDC recommends it for most travellers to Thailand, especially those staying with friends or relatives, or visiting smaller cities and rural areas. The Government of Canada describes it as low risk for most travellers, with the vaccine recommended for some. Available here as an injection or as oral capsules; the capsules are a course you finish over a week.
Chickenpox, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, influenza, measles-mumps-rubella, polio and shingles. CDC asks travellers to be up to date on all routine vaccines before every trip. There is a global measles notice: all international travellers should be fully vaccinated against measles at least two weeks before departure. Tetanus is the one that has usually lapsed — scooter grazes and coral cuts are how it comes up.
Spread through blood and bodily fluids. CDC recommends it for unvaccinated travellers younger than 60, and says those 60 and over may also be vaccinated. The Government of Canada notes the risk exists in every destination and recommends it for all travellers. Many Canadians already have it from the school programme, so we check first rather than assuming.
A mosquito-borne virus, mostly rural and mostly seasonal. CDC recommends it for people moving to an endemic area, spending a month or more there, or travelling to endemic areas frequently; says to consider it for shorter stays involving rural areas, hiking, camping or unscreened lodging; and does not recommend it for short-term urban travel. The Government of Canada calls the risk very low for most travellers and higher for long-term or rural ones. Two doses 28 days apart, which is why it drives the timeline.
Present in Thailand. CDC recommends pre-exposure vaccination for selected travellers, considering whether they will be doing occupational or recreational activities that increase the chance of contact with a potentially rabid animal. The temple macaques and street dogs are the usual reason people ask. Being vaccinated beforehand does not remove the need to seek care after a bite — it changes what that care is, and buys time.
CDC says the vaccine may be considered for people travelling or moving to Thailand who plan to stay for an extended period — for example six months or more. Not something a two-week trip needs.
Not recommended. CDC states there is no longer active cholera transmission in Thailand and the vaccine is not recommended. Included here because it is still sometimes suggested for Southeast Asia, and it should not be.
Not recommended for travel to Thailand itself. But proof of vaccination is required for entry if you are arriving from — or have transited an airport in — a country where yellow fever occurs. If your route touches Africa or South America, tell us: this is an entry requirement, not a health recommendation, and yellow fever is licensure-restricted, so we will tell you plainly whether we can give it or where to go.
Honest about the risks, and specific about what prevents each one.
Mosquito-borne and present in Thailand, cities included. The mosquito that carries it bites during the day, which catches people out — insect repellent is a morning habit as much as an evening one.
Prevention No vaccine is available in Canada. Repellent, long sleeves at dusk and dawn, air conditioning or screens.
Present. Matters most if you are pregnant or planning to be.
Prevention Bite avoidance. Worth a conversation before you book if pregnancy is on the horizon.
Both from soil and water rather than insects. CDC advises avoiding contaminated water and soil, and specifically floodwater — melioidosis is associated with contact with soil or muddy water, particularly after heavy rain. Rainy-season trips and anything involving rice paddies, waterfalls or flooded streets are when this is relevant.
Prevention Cover cuts, wear footwear, stay out of floodwater.
The reason the first two vaccines on this page are the first two. Street food is most of why people go to Thailand, and we are not going to tell you to avoid it — hepatitis A and typhoid cover exist so you do not have to.
Prevention Bottled or treated water, hot food served hot, and peel your own fruit.
CDC highlights dogs, bats, monkeys, sea animals and snakes. Bites and scratches can lead to rabies. The macaques at temples are habituated to people and will take food out of a hand.
Prevention Do not feed or handle animals. Wash any bite or scratch immediately with soap and water and contact a clinic that day.
CDC lists both among the risks for Thailand — tuberculosis spread person to person, hantavirus through rodents. Neither changes what a typical holiday needs, but both appear on the official list and we would rather show you the whole list.
Prevention Avoid people who are unwell; avoid rodents and their droppings.
Prevented with tablets rather than a vaccine, and only needed for some routes — which is why the answer depends on your itinerary.
Not the places most people go. CDC puts the risk in the provinces bordering Myanmar, Cambodia and Malaysia, especially rural forest and forest-fringe areas, noting that within the Cambodian border area Buri Ram Province sees only rare cases. It describes rare to few cases in the rest of Thailand — including Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, and the islands of Koh Pha Ngan, Koh Samui and Phuket — and no transmission on the Krabi Province islands or in Pattaya City.
For the border provinces CDC lists atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline or tafenoquine. Chloroquine and mefloquine are not options here: resistance to both is documented in Thailand. Everywhere else with transmission, including Buri Ram, CDC recommends bite precautions only and no tablets. Most Thailand trips need no tablets at all — which is why we ask for your route.
The things that prevent most travel illness are not medical.
Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Koh Samui and Koh Pha Ngan need food-and-water cover and very little else. The provinces along the Myanmar, Cambodia and Malaysia borders — particularly rural forest and forest-fringe areas — are where malaria tablets and Japanese encephalitis come into it. Bring your route, not just your dates.
The overall advisory is “Exercise a high degree of caution (with regional advisories)”. It advises against all travel within 50 km of the Thailand–Cambodia border, and to Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala and southern Songkhla province. That is a safety question rather than a vaccine one, but it overlaps with the malaria map, so it is worth reading before you book.
CDC lists typhoid for most travellers to Thailand. The Government of Canada calls it low risk for most travellers and says the vaccine may be recommended. Both are right about different travellers: the risk sits with street food, smaller cities, rural areas and staying in family homes rather than hotels. We will ask what your trip actually looks like and say which side of that you fall on — and if it is a resort fortnight with hotel food, we will tell you that too.
Most people booking a travel consult with us are sorting out a household, not just themselves. A few things are different for children.
Most travel vaccines can be given to children, at doses and ages that differ from adults. Hepatitis A is licensed from one year, and CDC notes that infants aged 6–11 months travelling to Thailand should also be vaccinated. Bring the whole family in one appointment — tell us how many people when you book so we set aside enough time.
Some travel vaccines are fine, some are not, and some depend on how far along you are. Dengue and Zika are both present in Thailand, which makes this worth a conversation before the trip is booked rather than after. Say so when you book and we will allow more time.
People visiting friends and relatives tend to stay longer, stay in homes rather than hotels, and eat what the household eats — which is exactly where typhoid risk sits. It is also the group least likely to think of themselves as needing travel vaccines. If that is your trip, say so; it changes our advice.
Four to six weeks is comfortable. Japanese encephalitis needs two doses 28 days apart, which is the longest schedule you might need. If you are leaving sooner, come anyway — hepatitis A and typhoid both work on short notice, and we would rather give you most of the protection than none of it.
Probably not. CDC places the risk in the provinces bordering Myanmar, Cambodia and Malaysia, especially rural forest areas, and describes rare to few cases in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket, Koh Samui and Koh Pha Ngan. If your trip is cities and islands, the answer is usually bite precautions and no tablets. If you are going to the border provinces, it is atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline or tafenoquine — chloroquine and mefloquine do not work there.
This is where the two official sources differ. CDC recommends typhoid for most travellers to Thailand; the Government of Canada calls it low risk for most. The honest answer depends on whether you will eat outside the hotel — and almost everyone does. Bring your itinerary and we will give you a straight answer rather than a default one.
It is most of why people go. Hepatitis A and typhoid vaccination exist so that this is a question about your stomach rather than your liver. Choose stalls that are busy and cooking to order, drink bottled or treated water, and be more careful with ice, salads and pre-cut fruit.
The Government of Canada advises exercising a high degree of caution, with regional advisories. It advises against all travel within 50 km of the Thailand–Cambodia border, and to Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala and southern Songkhla province. That advice changes, so check travel.gc.ca before you book — it is linked at the bottom of this page.
Largely the same core: hepatitis A, typhoid, routine boosters. The differences are in the detail, and malaria maps are not the same. Tell us the whole route in one appointment rather than booking two — it is one consultation and it is free.
No. The consultation is free. You pay only for the vaccines you decide to have, and we will tell you what each one costs before you agree to it. Some are covered by private plans — we can check.
Bring your travel dates. A pharmacist will go through what you need for Thailand, give what can be given that day, and book anything that needs a second dose. No doctor referral, no wait list.
Written from current CDC and Government of Canada guidance, checked 30 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.
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 30 July 2026. Official advice changes — if your trip is months away, check again or ask us.
