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Yemen
Health Overview
Key Health Risks
Health Risk Callout
Other Health Risks
Regional Information
Vaccine and Malaria Prevention
- Risk Level: Moderate
- Areas: Tihama/Red Sea coastal and inland lowlands; Sana'a 7,200 feet minimal; year-round coastal
- Recommended Drug: Atovaquone-proguanil; doxycycline; mefloquine; tafenoquine
- Drug Resistance: Yes
P. falciparum dominant with chloroquine resistance in coastal/lowland. Sana'a 7,200 feet minimal.
Physician Note
Yemen has no civilian travel application — the embassy has been closed since 2015 and there is no consular backup of any kind. For authorized humanitarian deployment, the vaccine conversation has shifted in a way worth noting. Cholera is still the disease Yemen is known for, but it has fallen sharply: roughly 250,000 suspected cases in 2024, about 93,500 in 2025, and around 5,000 in the first half of 2026. Yemen is no longer the highest-burden cholera country in the world, though it remains endemic and the water and sanitation drivers are unchanged.
What has replaced it is vaccine-preventable disease. Yemen reported the world's highest measles case count between May and October 2025 — 23,817 confirmed cases and 214 deaths over the year — and variant poliovirus type 2 continues to circulate, concentrated in northern governorates that campaigns cannot safely reach. The figure that stops me is diphtheria: 110 confirmed cases with 63 deaths, a case fatality above 57%. Diphtheria should not kill more than half of those it infects. That number is a direct readout of antitoxin unavailability, the same shortage showing up in West Africa. MMR, a diphtheria-containing booster and polio immunity are the three things to confirm. Malaria prophylaxis for the Tihama coast; Sana'a at 7,200 feet is minimal risk. Houthi maritime activity affects medevac routing.
Pre-Departure Checklist
8+ Weeks
- DO NOT TRAVEL HERE — Yemen is Level 4. The US Embassy has been suspended since February 2015 and there are no consular services of any kind; only authorized UN or humanitarian deployment with a full security framework should proceed
- MMR — the priority vaccine for Yemen; the country reported the highest measles case count in the world between May and October 2025
- Diphtheria-containing booster — Yemen's diphtheria case fatality rate exceeds 57%, reflecting antitoxin shortage
- Polio booster — required; Yemen has active variant poliovirus type 2 transmission
- Cholera vaccine (Vaxchora) — cholera is endemic, though 2026 case counts are far below the 2024 peak
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Typhoid
- Rabies pre-exposure
- Meningococcal
- Malaria prophylaxis for the Tihama/Red Sea coastal lowlands (chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum; Sana'a at 7,200 feet is minimal risk).
2-4 Weeks
- Confirm medevac insurance and a security organization — the US government cannot assist and there is no consular backup
- Confirm evacuation routing to Muscat or Cairo; note the FAA SFAR and the MARAD advisory covering Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping
- Carry a complete medication supply from home plus a 30-day reserve
- Water purification capability — cholera remains endemic and water infrastructure is damaged
- Establish a proof-of-life protocol; kidnapping risk is high and dual nationals are at particular risk.
Day Of
- State Dept 24/7: +1-202-501-4444 or +1-888-407-4747 — there is no embassy to call
- Local emergency 199 (no English); there is no reliable ambulance service
- Never touch unknown objects — landmines and UXO are widespread
- Bottled or purified water only
- Daily check-ins with your organization.
Trip Type Guidance
No trip types appropriate. Embassy closed since 2015. Only authorized humanitarian/UN.
