Uganda

Recommended Vaccinations For Uganda

For Most Travellers

Hepatitis B Vaccine

There is a significant risk of infection with hepatitis B for this country, therefore, the vaccination is recommended.

Hepatitis A Vaccine

There is a significant risk of exposure to hepatitis A for this country, therefore, the vaccination is recommended.

For Some Travellers

Cholera Vaccine

The U.K. NaTHNaC recommends the oral cholera vaccine for some travellers whose activities or medical history put them at increased risk, travelling to areas of active cholera transmission. These risk factors include: aid workers; those going to areas of cholera outbreaks who have limited access to potable water and medical care; travellers for whom the vaccination would be considered potentially beneficial, such as chronic medical conditions. The U.S. CDC recommends the cholera vaccine for travellers who are 18-64 years of age and who plan to travel to areas of active cholera transmission. CDC notes that most travellers do not travel to areas of active cholera transmission, and that safe food and water practices can prevent many cholera infections.

Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) Vaccine

A dose of Measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is recommended for all travellers over 6 months of age.

Meningitis Vaccine

Because this country is located in the sub-Saharan meningitis belt, vaccination against meningitis is recommended if travelling during the dry season (December to June).

Yellow Fever Vaccine

The yellow fever vaccination is recommended for all travellers 9 months of age or older. In addition, this country requires a yellow fever vaccination certificate for travellers 1 year of age and older arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission.

Typhoid Fever Vaccine

There is a risk of exposure to typhoid fever in this country through consumption of unsafe food and water. Since exposure to unsafe sources is variable within this country, the vaccination against typhoid fever is generally recommended, especially when visiting smaller cities or rural areas, where food and water sources may be contaminated.

Rabies Vaccine

Vaccination against rabies is recommended for travellers involved in outdoor activities (e.g., campers, hikers, adventure travellers, and cavers) who may have direct contact with rabid dogs, bats, and other mammals. Those with occupational risks (such as veterinarians, wildlife professionals, researchers) and long-term travellers and expatriates are at higher risk and should be vaccinated.

Recommended Medications For Uganda

For Some Travellers

Anti-malarial Drugs

Recommended anti-malaria medication includes atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline or mefloquine. Anti-malaria drug resistance for chloroquine is present.

Diseases To Be Aware of for Uganda

For Most Travellers

Hepatitis A

There is a significant risk for hepatitis A virus exposure in Uganda through contaminated food or water. 

Hepatitis B

There is a significant risk for acquiring hepatitis B in Uganda.

Cholera

Cholera may occur in Uganda.

Dengue Fever

Dengue fever may occur in Uganda.

Chikungunya Fever

Chikungunya fever may occur in this country.

For Some Travellers

Rift Valley Fever (RVF)

Sporadic outbreaks of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) may occur in this country. Commonly spread via contact with domesticated animals infected with the virus. These include cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and camels, among others.

Measles

There is a risk of Measles in this country, especially in infants aged 6 to 11 months.

West Nile Fever

The virus is transmitted to animals, birds and humans by mosquitoes. Symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, body aches, nausea, and skin rash.

Hanta Virus

There is a risk of acquiring Hantavirus in this country through the consumption of food and water contaminated by an infected rodent or through rodent bites.

Marburg Haemorrhagic Fever

Marburg hemorrhagic fever is caused by touching infected animals or their body fluids ; touching body fluids (blood or sweat) from an infected person or objects contaminated with the body fluids of a person infected with Ebola or Marburg virus.

Ebola Viral Disease

There is a risk of ebola in this country. Ebola is caused by coming into contact with the body fluids from an infected person (alive or dead), such as blood, urine, saliva, and sweat, among others. Medical equipment contaminated with the boly fluids of an infected person or a person who died of Ebola or Marburg also cause the disease.

African Tick Bite Fever

This disease may occur in this country. Ticks that cause this disease are usually most active from November through April. Travellers engaging in outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, and game hunting in wooded, brushy, or grassy areas may be at a higher risk.

Malaria

All areas of Uganda are at high risk, including urban areas.

Yellow Fever

There is a risk of exposure to and infection with yellow fever in Uganda.

Tuberculosis

Travellers to Uganda are at significant risk for tuberculosis if visiting friends or family, working in the health care field, or having close prolonged contact with the general population.

Meningitis

Meningitis occurs in Uganda. Travellers who visit during the dry season (December-June) or expect to have prolonged contact with the local population are especially at risk.

Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever

Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever occurs with some frequency in Uganda, especially in the cattle corridor, which is a strip of land spanning across 18 districts, from the southwest to the northeast of the country.

Typhoid Fever

Unvaccinated people can become infected through contaminated food and water in Uganda, especially when visiting smaller cities, villages, or rural areas where food and water sources may be contaminated.

Leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis occurs in Uganda. It is usually more common in rural than urban areas, and the risk of acquiring leishmaniasis is increased in travellers who spend time outdoors in rural areas and at night, when sand flies typically feed.

Zika Fever

Zika fever occurs in this country.

Schistosomiasis

The parasite that causes schistosomiasis is found in Uganda. It is acquired through contact with fresh water, such as swimming, bathing, or rafting. Well-chlorinated swimming pools and contact with saltwater in oceans or seas will not put travellers at risk for schistosomiasis. In a 2018 study conducted by Makerere University School of Public Health found that 29% of 40 million Ugandans are infected with this disease.

Sleeping Sickness (Type 1)

This disease only occurs in rural Uganda. It is transmitted through the bite of infected tsetse flies, which live in the woodlands and thickets of the savannah and in the dense vegetation along streams. Travellers to urban areas are not at risk.

Rabies

Rabies occurs in this country. Travellers involved in outdoor activities (e.g., campers, hikers, adventure travellers, and cavers) may have direct contact with rabid dogs, bats, and other mammals. Those with occupational risks (such as veterinarians, wildlife professionals, researchers) and long-term travellers and expatriates are at higher risk.

Safety & Security in Uganda

Personal Safety

Overall crime in Uganda dropped by 4.1% from 2023 to 2024, with reported cases falling from 228,074 to 218,715. However, you face real risks from several crime types. Theft accounts for 28% of all reported crimes, with 61,529 cases in 2024. These incidents happen mainly in urban areas like Kampala, Jinja, and Entebbe. Robbery increased by 5% to 8,163 cases in 2024, with criminals using more sophisticated methods, particularly when targeting businesses and travelers. Homicides rose by 1.9% to 4,329 cases in 2024. Police capacity to respond remains limited due to resource constraints. You may encounter criminals stealing from vehicles stopped in traffic. Boda-bodas, or motorbike taxis, present particular dangers, as foreign nationals have been mugged in incidents involving violence and weapons. Travelers have also been drugged and robbed on public transport and in bars. Financial fraud and cybercrime are becoming more prevalent as criminal activities shift from physical to technology-driven methods. The crime rate stands at 476 victims per 100,000 people. Organized crime groups operate in the country, though criminal kidnaps and armed assaults targeting tourists remain unlikely. Economic crimes and corruption rose by 1.6% to 13,132 cases in 2024, reflecting ongoing issues with embezzlement, bribery, and abuse of office.

Extreme Violence

The Allied Democratic Forces, an ISIS-linked group operating from the Democratic Republic of Congo, poses an active terrorism threat. In October 2023, two tourists and their Ugandan guide were killed in Queen Elizabeth National Park. In June 2023, 42 people, including 38 students, died when ADF militants attacked a school in Mpondwe near the DRC border. The group also killed 10 people in Kyabandara and 3 in Nyabitusi in December 2023. In 2021, suicide bombings in Kampala killed 4 people and injured 33, with 2 additional explosive devices disarmed by police. The group has launched both terror attacks in places like Kampala and heavier military-style raids against civilians near the DRC border. Despite joint military operations between Uganda and the DRC that began in 2021, attacks continue. Security forces have arrested numerous suspected ADF members, including Abdul Rashid Kyote in November 2023, charged with the Queen Elizabeth National Park attack. Since Operation Shujaa launched, more than 567 ISIS-DRC militants have been killed according to Ugandan authorities. In 2023, multiple terrorist incidents occurred, with security forces preventing several attack plots from reaching fruition. Terrorism cases rose from 15 in 2023 to 26 in 2024. The western border region near the DRC, including areas around national parks, remains vulnerable to cross-border attacks. Security operations continue in Kampala, with an explosion near the Catholic Basilica in Munyonyo in June 2025.

Political Unrest

Political tensions are running high ahead of the January 2026 presidential elections. The previous two election cycles saw large demonstrations marked by violence. Security forces have repeatedly used lethal force against protesters, raising concerns about similar actions during the upcoming election. In July 2024, police detained at least 45 people protesting corruption in Kampala, with protesters demanding the resignation of the Speaker of Parliament and reduction of parliamentary salaries. President Museveni, who has ruled for almost four decades, warned protesters they were playing with fire. Heavy police and military presence created conditions described as a war zone. Authorities arrested over 100 environmental activists between May and August 2024 who were protesting large-scale oil projects. In 2023, police arrested 11 activists demonstrating against a corruption scandal and 11 female opposition MPs protesting police brutality. Demonstrations by political groups leading up to elections remain unpredictable and potentially dangerous. Security forces continue to restrict freedoms of expression and assembly, particularly for government critics and political opposition. Roads to Parliament and other government areas often get blocked during periods of unrest. The authorities have cracked down on activists, opposition members, and human rights defenders voicing concerns about various issues. Growing disputes over corruption, inadequate public services, and poor management of land and natural resources contribute to widespread frustration. Elections trigger protests and strikes related to political uncertainty, wage negotiations, high commodity prices, power outages, and interest rate hikes.

Areas To Avoid

Avoid areas within 50 km of the South Sudan border due to banditry and cross-border attacks by rebel groups. The border is porous, with frequent criminal trade and movement. The Karamoja region in northeastern Uganda, including districts of Kaabong, Kotido, Abim, Moroto, Napak, Nakapiripirit, Katakwi, Amudat, Kapchorwa, Kween, and Bukwo, experiences cattle theft, violent crime, armed clashes, and banditry. Military and civilians have been killed during security operations. Armed raids to steal cattle and robberies related to cattle trading, some resulting in killings, occur regularly. Robberies resulting in multiple killings have occurred in districts neighboring Karamoja in the Teso and Acholi sub-regions. Areas within 50 km of the DRC border face risks from joint military operations and potential spillover from instability in eastern DRC. The western districts of Bundibugyo, Ntoroko, and Kasese near the DRC border have potential for violence related to ethnic and tribal tensions. The area south-west of Kasese town from the DRC border at Kyabikere extending eastwards to the A109 road and southwards to Queen Elizabeth National Park presents elevated risk. Western Uganda has a history of inter-ethnic violence. The M23 armed group controls the Bunagana and Kitagoma-Buszana border crossings in Kisoro district on the DRC side. Queen Elizabeth National Park experienced fatal attacks in 2023. Security operations require travelers to follow enhanced protocols when traversing areas from Lake Albert down to the Rwandan border and through the Karamoja region. Emergency medical care and auto repair services are lacking in remote areas. The Rwanda-Uganda border may close without notice due to political tensions.