Health, vaccinations and medical care in Malaysia

Health, insurance and where to be treated

• No mandatory vaccinations to enter, except an international yellow fever certificate when arriving from an at-risk country.
• Dengue fever is the main risk - a viral illness carried by daytime-active Aedes mosquitoes. The critical period is the monsoon season from November to March, and the only effective protection is regular use of DEET-based repellents.
• Rabies is present in Perlis, Kedah, Penang and Sarawak - not only on Borneo. Penang matters most here, because it is on the usual tourist route. Avoid stray dogs and monkeys, and treat any bite or scratch as urgent: rabies is effectively always fatal once symptoms appear, and the vaccine course has to start immediately.
• Tap water is not drinkable. Use bottled or boiled water for drinking and for dental hygiene.
• Haze between June and October. Forest fires in Indonesia push air pollution up across the region and can disrupt local and regional flights; if you have a respiratory condition, check the Air Pollutant Index before travelling.
• Private care is top-tier and expensive. Gleneagles Hospital and Prince Court Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur are excellent, but treatment is financially costly - arrange quality travel insurance in advance.