Democratic Republic of the Congo - Kinshasa

Recommended Vaccinations For Democratic Republic of the Congo - Kinshasa

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. Infants 6 to 11 months old should also be vaccinated against the disease.

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.

Meningitis Vaccine

Meningitis vaccination is recommended for travel to this country during the dry season (January-February and May to September). Travellers with prolonged contact with the local population are especially at risk.

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.

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.

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.

Yellow Fever Vaccine

There is a risk of yellow fever transmission in this country. This country requires a yellow fever vaccination certificate for any traveller one year of age or older. It is recommended that all travellers 9 months of age and older have the yellow fever vaccination.

Recommended Medications For Democratic Republic of the Congo - Kinshasa

For Some Travellers

Anti-malarial Drugs

Anti-malaria medication is recommended for travellers. Recommended medications are atovaquone/proguanil, doxycycline, or mefloquine. Anti-malaria drug resistance to chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine has been reported.

Diseases To Be Aware of for Democratic Republic of the Congo - Kinshasa

For Most Travellers

Hepatitis B

There is a significant risk for acquiring hepatitis B in the DRC.

Hepatitis A

There is a significant risk for hepatitis A virus exposure in the DRC.

Dengue Fever

Dengue fever occurs in this country. All travelers to dengue infested areas are at risk.

Chikungunya Fever

Chikungunya fever has occurred in this country.

Cholera

There is a risk of cholera in the DRC. The disease is caused by contaminated food and water and it can cause severe watery diarrhoea. However, most travelers are at low risk.

For Some Travellers

Leishmaniasis

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

Zika Fever

There is an increased risk of this disease in this country.

Hanta Virus

There is a risk of acquiring hantavirus in DRC 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.

African Tick Bite Fever

There is an increased risk of this disease in this country.

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.

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.

Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever

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

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 DRC. 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.

Plague

There is a risk of acquiring Plague in DRC. The disease is caused by a bacteria that can infect both people and animals. People get plague after being bitten by infected fleas, handling an infected animal, or breathing in infectious droplets from an infected person or animal.

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.

Malaria

Malaria risk exists throughout the year in all areas of the country.

Yellow Fever

There is a risk of yellow fever transmission in this country. This country requires a yellow fever vaccination certificate for any traveller one year of age or older. 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 the DRC, especially when visiting smaller cities, villages, or rural areas and staying with friends or relatives.

Meningitis

Epidemics of meningitis may occur in this country during the dry season (January to February and May to September). Travellers with prolonged contact with the local population are especially at risk.

Sleeping Sickness (Type 1)

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

Schistosomiasis

This disease is present in this country and 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.

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis occurs in this country. Travellers to this country are at risk for tuberculosis if visiting sick friends or family, working in the health care field, or having close prolonged contact with the general population.

Rabies

Rabies occurs in DRC.Bats may also carry rabies-like viruses. Travellers involved in outdoor activities (e.g., campers, hikers, bikers, adventure travellers, and cavers) may have direct contact with rabid dogs 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo - Kinshasa

Personal Safety

Crime remains a constant concern across the country. Violent robberies occur regularly in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi, particularly near hotels, supermarkets, and commercial areas. Organized gangs use various tactics to lure victims, including deploying children, offering counterfeit gold or diamonds, or impersonating security personnel. You face heightened risk of being targeted as a foreign national. Police and military roadblocks are common throughout the country, with increased checkpoints at night in areas like Gombe, Limete, Ngaba, Kintambo, Ngaliema, Ndjili, and Mont Ngafula. Criminals sometimes pose as police or military personnel at fake roadblocks to rob travelers. The country hosts over half a million refugees while simultaneously experiencing extreme poverty. Widespread social exclusion and health risks create environments where attacks and robberies become more frequent, particularly in rural areas. Arbitrary detention poses an additional risk. Authorities rarely notify embassies when foreign nationals are detained, and consular access is not always granted even when requested. Photographing government or military buildings, borders, and military installations is illegal and can result in arrest. Kinshasa experienced large violent protests in January 2025 outside multiple embassies following conflict escalation in the east, resulting in gunfire and increased security presence.

Extreme Violence

The eastern provinces face severe ongoing armed conflict involving multiple groups. Over 7,000 people have been killed since January 2025 according to government figures, following M23’s capture of Goma and other key cities in North and South Kivu. The conflict involves the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group, the Congolese army, and various militia coalitions operating across the region. Armed groups continue to perpetrate massacres, rape, child recruitment, and pillaging. The Allied Democratic Forces, linked to the Islamic State, conducts regular attacks in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, primarily targeting rural villages but also attacking bars, places of worship, markets, and vehicle convoys. In June 2024, ADF killed more than 200 civilians in two separate attacks in Beni and Lubero territories. CODECO militants operate in Ituri province, attacking civilians and displacement camps. At least 55 people were killed in a CODECO attack in February 2025. All parties to the conflict use explosive weapons with wide area effects in populated areas. Between January and July 2024, M23 and the Congolese army launched explosive weapons into densely populated areas more than 150 times. A rocket attack on a displacement camp in May 2024 killed at least 18 civilians, including 15 children. Displacement sites and camps are regularly targeted, with heavy artillery striking shelters and water facilities. More than 1,400 wounded people were treated at one Goma hospital between January and March 2025, with over 300 injured by explosive devices. The conflict has displaced 7.3 million people within the country, forcing them into camps that themselves face regular armed attacks. Explosive remnants of war contaminate many areas, particularly in North Kivu and Sake, killing and maiming civilians who encounter unexploded ordnance during daily activities.

Political Unrest

Political tensions have intensified following the December 2023 presidential election. Authorities cracked down on opposition members, journalists, and civil society activists throughout 2024. A journalist was imprisoned for six months in 2023-2024 on false charges. Protests relating to the armed conflict erupted nationwide in 2024, including in Kinshasa. On January 28, 2025, large violent protests targeted embassies in Kinshasa in response to fighting in eastern DRC. Demonstrators set fire to French, Rwandan, and Belgian diplomatic compounds. Attacks also targeted American, Kenyan, and Ugandan embassies. Protesters threw rocks, attacked vehicles, set up roadblocks, and set fires across the city. Markets and supermarkets were looted. Law enforcement deployed tear gas and fired warning shots. These protests resulted in an ongoing risk of sporadic demonstrations that can involve gunfire. Anti-Western sentiment has grown due to perceived international inaction regarding M23 advances. Protests against MONUSCO peacekeeping forces have occurred, with large demonstrations in February 2024 outside the British Embassy and other Western embassies. Further protests targeting foreign nationals or UN premises cannot be ruled out. The political situation remains fragile and can deteriorate quickly. President Tshisekedi announced intentions in October 2024 to revise the 2006 constitution, prompting warnings from civil society that this could further destabilize the country. Commercial flights and border crossings can be suspended with little notice during periods of unrest, restricting your ability to leave. Security measures intensify periodically, including vehicle checks and searches, particularly in Gombe district of Kinshasa.

Areas To Avoid

North Kivu and South Kivu provinces face extreme danger. M23 forces captured Goma in January 2025 and continue to control large areas. Fighting between M23, Congolese forces, and allied militias persists despite ceasefire agreements signed in February and July 2025. Shelling and explosive weapons are used regularly in populated areas. Displacement camps have been dismantled, forcing hundreds of thousands into precarious housing situations. Ituri province experiences persistent armed conflict involving CODECO and ADF groups. Attacks on civilians, including massacres and kidnappings, occur regularly. ADF also operates extensively in North Kivu, conducting deadly raids on villages and urban areas. Tanganyika province hosts ethnic conflicts and militia activity. Haut Lomami province sees continued violent crime, including ambushes, robberies, and kidnappings of travelers. The three Kasai provinces experience armed conflict and intercommunal violence. Travelers have been ambushed and kidnapped in these areas. Avoid within 50km of the Central African Republic border due to armed group activity and cross-border violence. Entry points at borders with Burundi, Uganda, and Rwanda should be avoided due to prevailing insecurity and disorder. These borders can close at short notice. The districts of Ndjili and Kimbanseke in southern Kinshasa present heightened security risks. The N1 road in Kinshasa Province between Menkao and Kenge is particularly dangerous. Mai-Ndombe and Tshopo provinces experience intercommunal violence resulting in deaths and displacement. Even in Kinshasa, certain areas including Kasa Vubu district bordered by N1 Triumphal Road pose elevated risks. Movement restrictions and volatile security conditions characterize most conflict-affected regions.