💉Vaccinations & Health

Which do you and your kids need?

Julian De Rosa

Julian De Rosa

East Java, Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Indonesia

This guide can’t replace medical advice — it’s just a guideline based on our personal experience. We had a proper consultation before our long trip and made decisions based on that.

There are many different opinions when it comes to vaccinations. For us, it felt right to do everything we could to stay on the safe side, especially traveling long-term with kids.

What worked for us:

We always check this website for up-to-date recommendations:
https://www.healthytravel.ch/page?id=114CBA46-B0E4-4BA1-92AE-4A63D2912A8A&t=Indonesien

What are the possible risks? Do you or your kids need vaccinations?

For Indonesia, common health considerations include diseases like hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, rabies, dengue fever, and in some areas malaria. There are also mosquito-borne diseases like chikungunya. The actual risk really depends on how and where you travel (cities vs. remote islands, duration, activities, etc.).

👉 Basic vaccinations (should be up to date):

  • Tetanus

  • Diphtheria

  • Pertussis (whooping cough)

  • Polio

  • Measles (MMR)

👉 Common travel vaccinations for Indonesia:

  • Hepatitis A (almost always recommended)

  • Hepatitis B (especially for longer stays / kids)

  • Typhoid

  • Rabies (depending on travel style & duration)

👉 Additional / situational:

  • Japanese encephalitis (for longer stays in rural areas)

  • Malaria prevention (medication only in certain regions, not everywhere)

We followed the vaccination plan recommended by our tropical medicine specialist before our 10-month trip. We personally got vaccinated against:

  • Hepatitis A

  • Typhoid

  • Polio

  • Rabies

For malaria, we carried emergency medication with us, but didn’t need it and gave it away at the end of our stay.

And honestly: apart from one sinus infection during those 10 months, we didn’t get sick at all
 which was pretty surprising.

At the end of the day, everyone should (and can) decide for themselves what feels right.

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