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Vaccine Preventable Disease Control
County of Los Angeles
Department of Public Health
Vaccine Preventable Disease Control Program
3530 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 700
Los Angeles, CA 90010
Phone: (213) 351-7800
Email: ip@ph.lacounty.gov
Protect yourself and your family while traveling in the United States or internationally by getting all routine and recommended vaccinations as well other important travel related preventative care (eg malaria prophylaxis, guidance on preventing traveler’s diarrhea).
It’s important to vaccinate at least one month before travel to give the vaccines enough time to start working and building protection. Some vaccinations may also take several weeks to complete if more than one dose is required (eg Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine, Tick-borne Encephalitis Vaccine). Additionally, travel specific vaccines are sometimes only available at Travel Clinics and may not be fully covered by insurance plans, so additional planning is required.
Use the CDC’s destination tool to learn what vaccines are recommended for the country you plan to visit.
Click here for a personalized health information tool for global travel.
All travelers should be up-to-date on routine vaccines. These vaccines include:
Depending on your travel plans, your doctor may recommend the following additional vaccines:
Talk with your primary care provider or a travel medicine doctor as early as possible about what vaccinations you will need before traveling. You may have to visit a travel clinic for certain vaccines so it’s important to plan ahead.
Pregnant travelers should be up-to-date on all routine vaccinations, especially whooping cough (pertussis), RSV, COVID-19, influenza (flu), and hepatitis B.
Avoid traveling to places with a risk of zika virus or malaria, as these diseases can cause more severe complications during pregnancy. If travel is necessary, consider taking precautions to avoid mosquito bites.
Infants and toddlers have a higher risk of becoming severely ill from disease and should receive as many doses of recommended childhood vaccinations before traveling. Some vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles and polio, are not common in the United States but are still common in other countries.
If you are traveling, your doctor can give recommended childhood vaccines to your child at an accelerated schedule, starting at 6 weeks of age, with a shorter time between doses. For example, or prior to the recommended age. infants aged 6 – 11 months should receive 1 dose of measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) and Hepatitis A prior to international travel.
Older adults should complete all routine and recommended vaccinations before traveling to prevent a higher risk of having severe complications from vaccine-preventable diseases. It’s especially important for senior travelers to be vaccinated against pneumococcal disease, shingles, flu, and COVID-19.
It’s important to make sure you are up-to-date on all routine vaccines as these diseases can cause severe complications in travelers with pre-existing health conditions, chronic illnesses, or weakened immune systems.
Yellow Fever Vaccination Clinics
There are several ways to pay for vaccines, including programs available to help people who are uninsured or might not be able to afford vaccinations. Click here for more information on paying for vaccination in LA County.
Your current medical insurance may not cover care in another country. Consider getting travel health insurance if you have a pre-existing health condition, are planning on an extended stay (more than 6 months), or will be doing adventurous activities/excursions (scuba diving, ziplining, etc).
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Public Health has made reasonable efforts to provide accurate translation. However, no computerized translation is perfect and is not intended to replace traditional translation methods. If questions arise concerning the accuracy of the information, please refer to the English edition of the website, which is the official version.
