Cameroon

Recommended Vaccinations For Cameroon

For Most Travellers

Hepatitis A Vaccine

There is a significant risk of exposure to hepatitis A for this country. Therefore, the vaccination is recommended. Infants 6 to 11 months old should also be vaccinated against the disease.

Hepatitis B Vaccine

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

For Some Travellers

Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) Vaccine

One dose of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) is recommended to infants 6 to 11 months prior to international travel.

Polio Vaccine

A single lifetime booster dose of Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) is recommended for adults who received the routine polio vaccination series as children

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) Vaccine

A BCG vaccine is recommended for all unvaccinated adults and children under 16 years of age, staying in the country for more than 3 months. A tuberculin skin test is required prior to administering vaccination for all children from 6 years of age.

Yellow Fever Vaccine

There is a risk of yellow fever transmission in Cameroon. This country requires all persons 9 months of age or older to have proof of the yellow fever vaccination. It is recommended that all travellers 9 months of age and older have the yellow fever vaccination.

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 April).

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.

Rabies Vaccine

Vaccination against rabies is recommended for travellers involved in outdoor activities (e.g., campers, hikers, bikers, 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.

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, rural areas, or staying with friends and family.

Recommended Medications For Cameroon

For Some Travellers

Anti-malarial Drugs

Anti-malarial medication is recommended for all travellers to Cameroon. Recommended medication includes atovaquone- proguanil, doxycycline, or mefloquine. Anti-malaria drug resistance for chloroquine is present.

Diseases To Be Aware of for Cameroon

For Most Travellers

Hepatitis A

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

Dengue Fever

Dengue fever outbreaks occur in Cameroon, and the risk to travellers is significant.

Cholera

Cholera does occur in Cameroon.

Chikungunya Fever

Chikungunya fever has occurred in this country.

Hepatitis B

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

For Some Travellers

Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever

There is a risk of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic fever in Cameroon.

Leishmaniasis

There is a risk of acquiring Leishmaniasis in the country. The infection is transmitted by the bite of infected phlebotomine sandfly.

Measles

There is a risk of exposure to measles in the country.

Rift Valley Fever (RVF)

Commonly spread via contact with domesticated animals infected with the virus. These include cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and camels, among others.

Hanta Virus

There is a risk of acquiring hantavirus in Cameroon through contaminated food or by coming into contact with someone infected with the virus

Monkeypox

There is a risk of monkeypox in the country. The disease can be caused by being scratched or bitten by an infected animal (a rodent or primate), or touching animal products, including skins and meat and being near an infected person who is coughing or sneezing.

Polio

There is a risk of acquiring Polio in the country and is transmitted from one person to another when droplets from a sneeze or cough of an infected person gets into the mouth of another person.

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.

Sleeping Sickness (Type 1)

African trypanosomiasis (“sleeping sickness”) occurs in Cameroon. Travellers to urban areas are not at risk.

African Tick Bite Fever

Sporadic cases and outbreaks of this disease may occur in this country.

Zika Fever

Zika fever can occur in Cameroon.

Meningitis

Epidemics of meningitis may occur in Cameroon during the dry season (December-April). Travellers with prolonged contact with the local population are especially at risk.

Tuberculosis

Travellers to Cameroon are at risk for tuberculosis if visiting ill friends or family or working in the health care field.

Schistosomiasis

The parasite that causes schistosomiasis is found in Cameroon. Well-chlorinated swimming pools and contact with saltwater in oceans or seas will not put travellers at risk for schistosomiasis.

Yellow Fever

There is a risk of yellow fever transmission in Cameroon. This country requires all persons 9 months of age or older to have proof of the yellow fever vaccination. It is recommended that all travellers 9 months of age and older have the yellow fever vaccination.

Typhoid Fever

Unvaccinated people can become infected through contaminated food and water in Cameroon, especially when visiting smaller cities, villages, or rural areas and staying with friends or relatives.

Malaria

All areas of Cameroon are at high risk for malaria.

Rabies

Rabies occurs in Cameroon. Travellers involved in outdoor activities (e.g., campers, hikers, bikers, 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 Cameroon

Personal Safety

Cameroon presents varied personal safety risks depending on region and circumstance. Armed robbery, assault, and carjacking occur throughout the country, with particular concern in cities like Yaounde, Douala, Ngaoundere, and Bafoussam. Petty theft is common in urban centers, markets, and on public transport. Kidnapping for ransom affects both Cameroonians and foreigners, particularly in the Far North, Northwest, Southwest, and border regions with the Central African Republic, Nigeria, and Chad. Scams targeting foreigners are widespread, including advance fee schemes, fake job offers, and fraudulent adoption services. Credit card and ATM fraud is frequent. Police resources are limited and may not respond effectively to serious incidents. Uniformed officers sometimes extort small bribes at roadblocks using minor or fabricated violations as pretexts.

Extreme Violence

Cameroon faces multiple zones of extreme violence. In the Far North region, Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province conduct suicide bombings, armed attacks, and kidnappings. Violence linked to militant Islamists nearly tripled between 2022 and 2024, with at least 720 incidents and 780 fatalities recorded in 2024. A March 2025 attack in Wulgo killed at least 20 Cameroonian soldiers. The Northwest and Southwest Anglophone regions experience ongoing armed conflict between separatist groups and government forces. This crisis has killed over 6,500 people since late 2016, with 2024 seeing the highest number of recorded violent events. Daily risks include gunfire, IED attacks, kidnappings, roadblocks, and arbitrary detention. Both sides have committed atrocities including extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, and attacks on civilians. Over 580,000 people are displaced in these regions. IEDs have been used increasingly by non-state armed groups and have appeared even in the capital Yaounde. The Lake Chad basin remains particularly dangerous with ongoing terrorist activity and civilian targeting.

Political Unrest

Political tensions in Cameroon remain extremely high following the 12 October presidential election, which declared 92-year-old President Paul Biya the winner with 53.66% of the vote amid widespread concerns about credibility and succession. Opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary rejected the results and called for nationwide protests, prompting a heavy security response involving tear gas, water cannons, and reported live fire, with at least four fatalities and dozens of arrests—some protesters facing military court charges. Long-standing restrictions on political space persist, including the earlier banning of opposition coalitions, the exclusion of key challenger Maurice Kamto, and the continued detention of at least 36 people from previous protest waves. Authorities have tightened controls on demonstrations, disrupted opposition activities, and imposed ad-hoc security measures around sensitive sites, while sporadic internet slowdowns and inflammatory political discourse have heightened ethnic and regional tensions, especially in Anglophone areas. Overall, the environment remains volatile, with a sustained risk of civil unrest, political violence, and sudden security clampdowns.

Areas To Avoid

Several regions carry do not travel warnings from multiple governments. The Far North region faces terrorism threats from Boko Haram and ISWAP, armed banditry, and kidnapping risks, particularly in the Lake Chad basin. The Northwest and Southwest Anglophone regions are conflict zones with armed clashes, IED usage, kidnappings, and disruptions to services. Aid organizations struggle to operate safely. The Bakassi Peninsula has armed robbery and piracy risks. Areas within 30 to 40 kilometers of borders with Nigeria, Chad, and the Central African Republic face heightened criminal threats, military operations, and kidnapping risks. The North and Adamawa regions, particularly north of Ngaoundere and within 20 kilometers of the CAR border, present serious security concerns. Specific neighborhoods in major cities also require caution, including Briqueterie and Mokolo market in Yaounde, and Nkololun, New Bell, Akwa, Bonaberi, and Village in Douala. Lake Nyos in the Northwest region poses a natural hazard risk from carbon dioxide emissions. The relatively safer areas for visitors include Yaounde, portions of Douala, and the coastal town of Kribi, though standard precautions remain necessary.