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Your Complete Guide to Vaccinations for Bali Holidays
- Dr Ravi Gowda
- Nov 3
- 7 min read
There are some commonly recommended travel related jabs for Bali such as hepatitis A and typhoid. But don't forget that you should also be up to date with your childhood vaccinations such as tetanus, diphtheria and polio; as well as measles, mumps and rubella.
Let's look at these travel vaccinations for Bali in more detail.
In this article, we’ll cover the following:
Recommended Travel Vaccinations for Bali
Hepatitis A
This viral infection is common throughout the tropics and you're going to be at risk if you're unfortunate enough to consume contaminated food or water. Whilst it's not usually life-threatening, the virus causes liver inflammation leading to jaundice (a yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes).
Hepatitis A infection can rarely cause liver failure so it can be serious, but the good news is that there’s a very effective vaccine available to protect you.
Typhoid
This bacterial infection is also related to food and water but can be much more serious and life-threatening. You can end up with sepsis (poisoning of this blood) so it's really important that you’re vaccinated before you travel. You do have the rare luxury of a choice of an injectable or an oral typhoid vaccine.
It’s important to note that the vaccine is not completely effective and doesn't cover all the strains of the typhoid bacteria, so you should still be careful with food and water.
Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio
As well as the travel related vaccinations, you should ensure that your childhood vaccinations are up to date. Diseases such as diphtheria and tetanus quite rare in the West but still common in some tropical regions.
For travel purposes, we'd recommend a booster if you've not had one in the last 10 years.
MMR
Measles mumps and rubella or MMR for short is another important childhood vaccination you should be up to date with. There has been a recent rise in measles cases in Western European countries and we would strongly recommend that you've had two doses in your lifetime. Please don't assume that you've had them, check properly and if in doubt, get yourself vaccinated.
Cholera
This is an interesting one. It's not that common in short stay travellers to Bali but we'd generally recommend it for backpackers who are going to be in South East Asia for sometime.
Again you’re fortunate in that it's a drink rather than an injection. It works by stimulating your gut mucosa’s (gut lining) immune system. As a consequence, it has the benefit of providing cross protection for other forms of travellers diarrhoea e.g. some strains of E. coli. Curiously, there’s also good evidence that it seems to stimulate your immune system in other parts of your body such as your salivary glands, nasal passages and respiratory tract.
When you're travelling through the tourist areas of Bali expect lots of stray dogs, and it's not just the rural areas. Indeed, the Bali authorities have declared some tourist hotspots such as Kuta and Nusa Dua as ‘red zones’ with recent cases of rabies being detected in urban stray dogs.
You’re at risk of rabies if there's any contact with the saliva from a rabid animal. This can be a dog, cat or even a monkey. So if you're bitten, scratched or licked by any mammal (including a bat) you'll need to seek urgent medical advice for post-exposure treatment with rabies vaccination. Better still, simply avoid touching or stroking stray/wild animals.
We recommend that you’re proactive and consider a three dose schedule of pre-exposure rabies vaccination before you travel. Just bear in mind that you still need some post exposure vaccination even if you've had a rabies jab before you travel. Long day travellers, backpackers, hikers, runners, cyclists and kids are at particular risk.
For more information on what to do if you’ve had an exposure, read our recent article on rabies; "Rabies vaccine – How quickly should you act?"
Other Health Considerations When Visiting Bali
There are other jabs for Bali that you should consider. Some travel related infections are common, and crucially, there’s no treatment.
Japanese Encephalitis
This is a viral infection spread by night-time biting mosquitoes and although uncommon in travellers, it can be a very serious illness. If you do end up with symptoms (many people don't) then there's a significant chance you’re not going to survive or if you do, you may end up with long-term neurological disability as it can cause inflammation of the brain. The condition is not treatable but there is a very effective vaccine to prevent the disease.
Although more common in rural areas there are regular outbreaks and cases in urban environments. We'd especially recommend the vaccine for long stay travellers and backpackers.
Other mosquito-borne illnesses
Mosquitoes carry two other important viruses in South East Asia.
Dengue Virus
The dengue virus is common in cities throughout the tropics. There’s a new vaccine available, however, we'd recommend you seek specialist expert advice from travel health experts, as at the time of writing this article, the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations, UK only currently recommend it for people who have had previous dengue infection.
Chikungunya
This is yet another common mosquito borne virus. This can, like dengue fever, cause severe disabling symptoms that can persist for weeks or even months. Two new vaccines are now available and we’d recommend it for anyone travelling to risk areas for two weeks or more.
Malaria precautions
Although malaria is present in Indonesia, it's uncommon in Bali. We’d generally not recommend malaria tablets. We would, however, definitely recommend malaria tablets for some parts of Indonesia such as West Papua. Please note, we always undertake an individual risk assessment based on their own personal circumstances first.
Although we can offer you a number of jabs for Bali, you can reduce your risk of mosquito borne diseases by strict bite avoidance. This includes wearing long sleeved clothing, using insect repellent containing 50% DEET and sleeping under permethrin impregnated mosquito nets.
Hepatitis B
The longer you travel the greater risk of some diseases and this includes hepatitis B. It's an extremely infectious virus that spreads through bodily fluids, blood, medical procedures, tattoo needles and sex. Hepatitis B is now routinely recommended as part of the UK childhood immunisation schedule. The prevalence of hepatitis B in the UK is about 0.5% of the population but far higher at 7.1% for Indonesia. For this reason, we’d generally recommend hepatitis B vaccination for Bali unless it's a very short stay.
Tuberculosis
Although the tuberculosis is common in Indonesia, the risk is low in travellers unless you belong to specific at risk groups. We might offer you the TB vaccination if you staying for longer than six months or a healthcare worker.
When to get Vaccinated Before Travelling to Bali
You should ideally get vaccinated at least 4 to 6 weeks before you depart. Why so early?
This is because some vaccines like rabies and Japanese encephalitis have standard schedules that last a month. If you're in a hurry, ask about accelerated courses as both vaccines schedules can be completed in 7 days if needed. Even if you’re a last minute traveller, vaccinations are still useful.
Where to Get Your Vaccinations
The most important thing is to seek expert travel health advice. At Health Klinix, you'll be seen myself, a consultant in infectious diseases and travel medicine or by healthcare professionals who are expertly trained by me. Either way, you receive high-quality, safe and trusted specialist medical advice to help you make a better, well informed decision about travel vaccinations
Travel Health Tips
Remember, there are other ways to keep you healthy in Bali apart from travel jabs.
Safe food and water habits.
Travellers diarrhoea is very common in Bali but you can vastly reduce your risk by adapting safe eating and drinking habits while you're abroad. Find out more about what to do if you get sick whilst travelling.
First aid and travel health kit essentials.
Preparing your own travel health kit is fairly straightforward, read our article on Packing for a Healthy Trip: What to Pack in Your Travel Health Kit
Insurance that covers medical treatment abroad.
Good effective medical insurance is essential. For an expert, impartial and independent review take a look at this Which? article
Avoid cheap alcohol
Be careful with drinks from local bars and always keep an eye on your drink as they can be sometimes get ‘spiked’
Respecting local customs and culture
The island of Bali is a small Hindu enclave within the large muslim country of Indonesia. Please be respectful of the locals: for example, remember to take your shoes off before you enter a temple in Bali. Elsewhere in Indonesia, Islam is the dominant religion and so you'll need to dress modestly.
Getting the right vaccinations for Bali is essential for a safe and enjoyable trip. By taking the necessary precautions and staying up-to-date on your immunisations, you can enjoy your adventure with peace of mind.
What's really important is that you receive expert, safe, trusted advice from a qualified healthcare professional. If you need more information you can book a travel health consultation or vaccination appointment at Health Klinix.
We answer your frequently asked questions
Do I need vaccinations to visit other countries in Asia?
You'll invariably need travel vaccinations for South East Asia. Take a look at our recent guides on specific countries:
Do I need proof I’ve been vaccinated when visiting Bali?
Generally no. However, there are two vaccination requirements for Bali where you might need a certificate:
Yellow fever vaccine. If you're travelling from a country where there’s a risk of yellow fever to Indonesia, then you will require a yellow fever vaccination certificate.
Polio vaccine. You might also need a polio vaccination certificate in some circumstances.
Is malaria an issue in Bali?
The risk of you catching malaria in Bali is very low and we would generally not recommend malaria tablets but you should still practice bite avoidance (see above)
How can I avoid typhoid when I’m in Bali?
A good place to start is getting vaccinated before you travel but just bear in mind that it's not completely effective and does not cover all strains of typhoid. For detailed advice on how to avoid typhoid, take a look at this useful travel health advice information leaflet.
Sources and References:
Written and approved by:
Consultant Physician in Infectious Diseases and Travel Medicine
MBBS, MRCP(UK), DTM&H, MRCGP, DCH, DRCOG, DFFP