Vanuatu Safety Tips: Is it Safe to Travel to Vanuatu?

Vanuatu presents a few environmental hazards but very few diseases. Like travelling anywhere in the world, it's smart to have your travel vaccinations up-to-date and to prepare a first aid kit for injuries or minor health issues that might occur. See our advice in What Medication to Pack in Your First Aid Kit for Vanuatu and Do You Need Vaccines to Travel to Vanuatu?

Medical Issues That Can Occur in Vanuatu

The most common medical issues that can occur in Vanuatu are sunburn, heatstroke, mosquito bites and coral cuts. These are very easy to keep in check with simple precautions.

Other medical issues may occur when it comes to drinking water and food, which we cover in our "Food and Water Hygiene" section.

Heat Stroke

Overexposure to the sun and high humidity can lead to heatstroke. Symptoms include exhaustion, confusion, headache and vomiting. To avoid, wear high-factor sunscreen, reapply every three hours or straight after swimming, and drink plenty of water. If symptoms occur, move out of the sun immediately and try to cool the victim down by wrapping a wet towel around them. See a doctor as soon as possible.

For more sun protection tips, check out The Best Sunscreens for Vanuatu + Sun Protection Tips.

Mosquito Bites

Mosquitos can leave a nasty itchy bite, which is enough to ruin an evening under the stars. What's more, day-biting mosquitoes transmit dengue fever (see below) and, more rarely, malaria, chikungunya and Zika.

Check out 10 Best Insect Repellents for Vanuatu + How to Treat & Avoid Bites for ways to avoid bites.

Ciguatera

Ciguatera is fish poisoning caused by eating reef fish that have eaten particular types of toxic algae. Symptoms occur within 24 hours of eating contaminated reef fish and include vomiting, diarrhoea and numbness in the fingers.

The best way to prevent it is to avoid eating reef fish altogether; eating deep-sea fish, like tuna, wahoo and mahimahi, is fine.

Coral Cuts

Cuts from live coral can leave prolonged infections, so if you are injured by live coral, get out of the water immediately and cleanse the wound. Take out all of the bits of coral, apply antiseptic cream, and cover with a dressing.

You should have all this stuff in your Vanuatu First Aid Kit!

Diving Decompression

Scuba diving is a popular activity in Vanuatu, but neglecting the strict depth and timing precautions of scuba diving can result in decompression illness, otherwise known as "the bends".

Vanuatu has limited hyperbaric chamber facilities, with the main facility located at ProMedical Vanuatu in Port Vila.

Infectious Diseases

Dengue Fever

Dengue fever is a mosquito-transmitted disease that has regular outbreaks in Vanuatu. It is only the day-biting mosquitoes (black and white striped) that cause the infection, so take a precaution by preventing mosquito bites. Take your own mosquito repellent because the options are typically limited to chemical-rich aerosol sprays.

See the How to Treat & Avoid Mosquito Bites for tips.

Chikungunya

Similar to dengue fever, chikungunya is another mosquito-transmitted disease also spread by day-biting mosquitoes. Outbreaks have been known to occur in Vanuatu.

There is no vaccination or specific treatment for the disease, so, again, sensible mosquito avoidance is recommended.

Malaria

Another mosquito-transmitted disease, malaria is a parasitic infection transmitted by mosquitoes that feed in dull light, such as at dusk, on overcast days or in forests. Take a precaution by preventing mosquito bites. Anti-malarial medication, while not 100% effective, is also available.

Malaria has been present in the northern islands, like Espiritu Santo, Malekula and Epi. Islands in Tafea, like Aneityum and Futuna, are malaria-free. It is rare in Port Vila.

E. coli (Traveller's Diarrhoea)

E. coli is a bacterium, resulting from food and water that is contaminated with faecal matter, for instance.

Precautions to take include boiling water for at least 10 minutes if the water is not from a safe source and washing hands regularly. See Is the Water Safe to Drink in Vanuatu? for more tips.

Symptoms include fever, drowsiness and diarrhoea. If symptoms occur, hydrate by taking small sips of fluids continuously, alternating between electrolytes and water. If you don't have an electrolyte solution, drink Coca-Cola or salty broth.

In most cases, you will need to wait out the symptoms, as antibiotics rarely treat E. coli effectively.

Giardiasis

A parasite in contaminated water, a risk especially after cyclones, Giardia produces bloating and persistent diarrhoea. Drink treated water, avoid raw foods and practice strict handwashing to prevent it. Treatment involves antibiotics like metronidazole if infected.

COVID-19

The COVID-19 virus has been present in Vanuatu. Symptoms are flu-like, including fever, cough, tiredness and loss of taste or smell.

It is recommended that you are fully vaccinated before travelling to Vanuatu. See Do You Need Vaccines to Travel to Vanuatu? for more details.

Typhoid Fever, Meningitis, Measles, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B

While rare, typhoid fever, meningitis, measles, hepatitis A and hepatitis B outbreaks do occur in Vanuatu.

It is recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to be up-to-date with routine vaccinations and to get travel vaccinations, such as diphtheria, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella and polio, regardless of where you are travelling to.

Find out more in Do You Need Vaccines to Travel to Vanuatu?

Although Vanuatu is usually blessed with buckets of sunshine, its location in the South Pacific means that it is at risk of extreme weather events and natural disasters.

Cyclones

The South Pacific cyclone season runs from November to April. On average, Vanuatu experiences a big cyclone once every five or so years.

Vanuatu is well prepared for cyclones; however, so check out Cyclones in Vanuatu: A Guide to Cyclone Safety for advice on safety precautions.

Tsunamis

Being just north of a major earthquake zone, Vanuatu has had rare but serious incidents of being impacted by tsunamis.

Anyone visiting Vanuatu should know how to identify the signs of a tsunami and know what to do in the case of one before visiting; The Guide to Earthquakes & Tsunamis in Vanuatu will give you some pointers.

Volcanic Eruptions

Vanuatu sits on some seriously active geological ground, with Efate, Espiritu Santo, Tanna and Ambae all considered potentially active volcanoes.

The last confirmed land eruption happened on Ambae in 2017-2018, and volcanic activity remains much more recent and ongoing across the archipelago.

The real hotspot is Yasur volcano on Tanna Island, one of the world's most accessible active volcanoes that has been erupting continuously for over 800 years.

Vanuatu sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, making it one of the most volcanically active nations in the world, with multiple active volcanoes monitored regularly by local authorities.