Israel, including the West Bank and GazaTraveler View

 

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Travel Health Notices

Be aware of current health issues in Israel, including the West Bank and Gaza. Learn how to protect yourself.

 

Level 2 Practice Enhanced Precautions

  • Global Polio January 14, 2025 Some international destinations have circulating poliovirus. Before any international travel, make sure you are up to date on your polio vaccines.
    Destination List: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, French Guiana (France), Ghana, Guinea, Indonesia, Israel, including the West Bank and Gaza, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of South Sudan, Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Spain, Sudan, Tanzania, including Zanzibar, The Gambia, Uganda, Yemen, Zimbabwe

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Vaccines and Medicines

Check the vaccines and medicines list and visit your doctor at least a month before your trip to get vaccines or medicines you may need. If you or your doctor need help finding a location that provides certain vaccines or medicines, visit the Find a Clinic page.

Vaccines for disease Recommendations Clinical Guidance for Healthcare providers
Routine vaccines

Make sure you are up-to-date on all routine vaccines before every trip. Some of these vaccines include

Immunization schedules

COVID-19

All eligible travelers should be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines. Please see Your COVID-19 Vaccination for more information. 

COVID-19 vaccine

Hepatitis A

Recommended for unvaccinated travelers one year old or older going to Israel, including the West Bank and Gaza.

Infants 6 to 11 months old should also be vaccinated against Hepatitis A. The dose does not count toward the routine 2-dose series.

Travelers allergic to a vaccine component should receive a single dose of immune globulin, which provides effective protection for up to 2 months depending on dosage given.

Unvaccinated travelers who are over 40 years old, are immunocompromised, or have chronic medical conditions planning to depart to a risk area in less than 2 weeks should get the initial dose of vaccine and at the same appointment receive immune globulin.

Hepatitis A - CDC Yellow Book

Dosing info - Hep A

Hepatitis B

Recommended for unvaccinated travelers younger than 60 years old traveling to Israel, including the West Bank and Gaza. Unvaccinated travelers 60 years and older may get vaccinated before traveling to Israel, including the West Bank and Gaza.

Hepatitis B - CDC Yellow Book

Dosing info - Hep B

Measles

Cases of measles are on the rise worldwide. Travelers are at risk of measles if they have not been fully vaccinated at least two weeks prior to departure, or have not had measles in the past, and travel internationally to areas where measles is spreading.

All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, including an early dose for infants 6–11 months, according to CDC’s measles vaccination recommendations for international travel.

Measles (Rubeola) - CDC Yellow Book

Rabies

Dogs infected with rabies are commonly found in Israel, including the West Bank and Gaza.

Rabies is also present in some terrestrial wildlife species.

If rabies exposures occur while in Israel, including the West Bank and Gaza, rabies vaccines are typically available throughout most of the country.

Rabies pre-exposure vaccination considerations include whether travelers 1) will be performing occupational or recreational activities that increase risk for exposure to potentially rabid animals and 2) might have difficulty getting prompt access to safe post-exposure prophylaxis.

Please consult with a healthcare provider to determine whether you should receive pre-exposure vaccination before travel.

For more information, see country rabies status assessments.

Rabies - CDC Yellow Book

Typhoid

If your trip includes the West Bank and Gaza, you might want to consider getting typhoid vaccine. You can get typhoid infection from contaminated food and water.

Typhoid - CDC Yellow Book

Dosing info - Typhoid

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Non-Vaccine-Preventable Diseases

Disease Name Common ways the disease spreads Advice Clinical Guidance for Healthcare Providers

Avoid contaminated water

Leptospirosis
  • Touching urine or other body fluids from an animal infected with leptospirosis
  • Swimming or wading in urine-contaminated fresh water, or contact with urine-contaminated mud
  • Drinking water or eating food contaminated with animal urine

Leptospirosis

Avoid bug bites

Leishmaniasis
  • Sand fly bite

Leishmaniasis

Airborne & droplet

Avian/Bird Flu
  • Being around, touching, or working with infected poultry, such as visiting poultry farms or live-animal markets
  • Avoid domestic and wild poultry

Influenza

Hantavirus
  • Breathing in air or accidentally eating food contaminated with the urine, droppings, or saliva of infected rodents
  • Bite from an infected rodent
  • Less commonly, being around someone sick with hantavirus (only occurs with Andes virus)
  • Avoid rodents and areas where they live
  • Avoid sick people

Hantavirus

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)
  • Scientists do not fully understand how the MERS virus spreads
  • May spread from to others when an infected person coughs or sneezes
  • May spread to people from camels.

Avoid sick people

Middle East Respiratory virus syndrome (MERS)

Tuberculosis (TB)
  • Breathe in TB bacteria that is in the air from an infected and contagious person coughing, speaking, or singing.
  • Avoid sick people

Tuberculosis (TB)

Avoid contaminated water

Leptospirosis

How most people get sick (most common modes of transmission)
  • Touching urine or other body fluids from an animal infected with leptospirosis
  • Swimming or wading in urine-contaminated fresh water, or contact with urine-contaminated mud
  • Drinking water or eating food contaminated with animal urine
Advice
Clinical Guidance

Avoid bug bites

Leishmaniasis

How most people get sick (most common modes of transmission)
  • Sand fly bite
Advice
Clinical Guidance

Airborne & droplet

Avian/Bird Flu

How most people get sick (most common modes of transmission)
  • Being around, touching, or working with infected poultry, such as visiting poultry farms or live-animal markets
Advice
  • Avoid domestic and wild poultry
Clinical Guidance

Hantavirus

How most people get sick (most common modes of transmission)
  • Breathing in air or accidentally eating food contaminated with the urine, droppings, or saliva of infected rodents
  • Bite from an infected rodent
  • Less commonly, being around someone sick with hantavirus (only occurs with Andes virus)
Advice
  • Avoid rodents and areas where they live
  • Avoid sick people
Clinical Guidance

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)

How most people get sick (most common modes of transmission)
  • Scientists do not fully understand how the MERS virus spreads
  • May spread from to others when an infected person coughs or sneezes
  • May spread to people from camels.
Advice

Avoid sick people

Clinical Guidance

Tuberculosis (TB)

How most people get sick (most common modes of transmission)
  • Breathe in TB bacteria that is in the air from an infected and contagious person coughing, speaking, or singing.
Advice
  • Avoid sick people
Clinical Guidance

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Stay Healthy and Safe

Counsel your patients on actions they can take on their trip to stay healthy and safe.

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Eat and drink safely

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Prevent bug bites

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Stay safe outdoors

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Keep away from animals

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Reduce your exposure to germs

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Avoid sharing body fluids

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Know how to get medical care while traveling

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Select safe transportation

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Maintain personal security

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Healthy Travel Packing List

Remind your patients to pack health and safety items. Use the Healthy Travel Packing List for Israel, including the West Bank and Gaza for a list of health-related items they should consider packing.

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After Your Trip

If you are not feeling well after your trip, you may need to see a doctor. If you need help finding a travel medicine specialist, see Find a Clinic. Be sure to tell your doctor about your travel, including where you went and what you did on your trip. Also tell your doctor if you were bitten or scratched by an animal while traveling.

For more information on what to do if you are sick after your trip, see Getting Sick after Travel.

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Map Disclaimer - The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on maps do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement are generally marked.