Vaccination Requirements to Travel in Italy

Italy does not require visitors to get vaccinations before they enter the country. You can help yourself stay healthy, though, by making sure that your immunizations for common diseases are up-to-date.

Considerations

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that travelers to Italy see their doctor four to six weeks before their trip. That gives you time to go over your vaccination record and determine what shots, if any, you need.

Types

For trips to Italy, the CDC suggests vaccinations for routine diseases, if you have not already received them. Those vaccinations include influenza, chicken pox, polio, measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) and diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT).

Time Frame

Flu vaccines are recommended for people traveling between the months of November and April. The tetanus shot time frame is once every 10 years. For most people born after 1956, doctors recommend at least two doses of the MMR vaccine.

Hepatitis

The CDC says that some travelers, especially those making long-term visits to Italy, should consider a hepatitis B vaccine. Travelers could be exposed to the disease through needle-sharing, unprotected sex or contact with non-sterile medical injections.

Warning

Measles outbreaks are common in Italy. One of the largest began in September 2007 in the northern Piedmont region, with more than 1,000 cases reported by May 2008, according to MDTravelHealth.com.

References

• Centers for Disease Control: Italy Vaccines
• MDTravelHealth: Italy

Resources

• Travel Medicine: Italy