Health, vaccinations and medical care in Uganda

Yellow fever: the certificate is the border document

• A yellow fever certificate is required to enter Uganda. The FCDO states it flatly, the airport states that a certificate is required of all arriving passengers, and Global Affairs Canada records the requirement as applying to travellers from all countries, not just those coming from a risk area. Uganda's own East Africa visa application asks for it too.
• The requirement starts at age 1, under the International Health Regulations.
• Since 11 July 2016 the certificate is valid for life, and a booster cannot be demanded of you however old the certificate is.
• The certificate is only valid from 10 days after the vaccination. That is WHO's rule and it is the reason this cannot be left to the airport: immunity takes 10 to 14 days to develop.
• Entebbe's Airport Medical Centre does vaccinate, at 40 US dollars or 120,000 shillings. Useful to know, and not a plan.
• Carry the paper certificate. The FCDO says the physical document has to be with you to show at immigration if asked.

Malaria is the risk you will actually meet

• Uganda is a high-risk malaria country and TravelHealthPro recommends antimalarials for travellers: atovaquone with proguanil, doxycycline or mefloquine.
• Start the conversation at least 8 weeks before you fly, along with the rest of the vaccine list.
• A fever of 38°C or more, more than a week after arriving in a malaria area, is a medical emergency, and so is any malaria-like symptom within a year of coming home.

Ebola, and where it stands

• WHO declared the Uganda Ebola outbreak over on 27 August 2026. The outbreak in neighbouring DRC continues, the risk of transmission into Uganda remains, and Uganda is still running precautions on that border.
• Other countries have not all caught up. Canada kept 21 day quarantine measures for travellers who have been in Uganda until 28 September 2026, weeks after the outbreak was declared over. Check what your own country does to arrivals from Uganda before you book the flight home.

Healthcare, and the insurance question

• Medical facilities are limited, especially outside Kampala, and many popular tourist areas have poor facilities. Help at the scene of an accident is likely to be limited.
• A serious illness or accident may mean an air ambulance. Insurance has to cover treatment, evacuation and repatriation, with accessible funds, not reimbursement months later.
• Call your insurer as soon as you are referred to a facility, before treatment starts.
• Altitude sickness is a risk in parts of the country, and there is a high HIV prevalence: UNAIDS puts it at about 1,400,000 adults.

Food and water

• Use boiled or bottled water only, and avoid ice. Avoid food from unlicensed vendors.
• Avoid contact with fresh water in lakes and rivers, where schistosomiasis is present.