Travel health notices

DateTravel health noticesLocationLevel
Apr 21, 2015 Avian Influenza (H5N1): Global UpdateGlobal Level 1
May 02, 2017 Measles: Global UpdateGlobal Level 1
Jul 12, 2016 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen Level 1
Oct 17, 2016 Cholera in Dominican Republic and HaitiDominican Republic, Haiti Level 1
Feb 16, 2017 Avian influenza H7N9 in ChinaChina Level 1
Aug 26, 2016 Chikungunya: Global UpdateThe Caribbean, Central and South America, Mexico, East Africa and the Ocean Pacific Islands Level 1
May 26, 2017 Zika virus: Advice for travellersCaribbean, Central America and Mexico, South America, Southeast Asia, Ocean Pacific Islands, and limited areas in North America, Central Africa and West Africa Level 2
Jun 22, 2016 Lassa fever in West AfricaLiberia, Nigeria, Togo Level 1
Sep 01, 2016 Cholera in AfricaDemocratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Tanzania Level 1
Jun 16, 2016 Dengue in the AmericasCaribbean, Central America and Mexico, South America and some areas in North America. Level 1
Oct 18, 2016 Rift Valley Fever in NigerNiger Level 1
May 10, 2017 Yellow fever in BrazilBrazil Level 2
Jul 05, 2017 Polio : vaccine adviceAfghanistan, Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel -the West Bank, Jordan, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Zambia Level 2
Jun 23, 2017 Hajj and Umrah in 2017Saudi Arabia Level 1

Levels of risk

Conditions in other countries may be different from those in Canada and may affect the health of Canadian travellers. For example:

  • standards of hygiene and sanitation may be different
  • safe food and clean water may be unavailable
  • climate or environmental conditions may support certain diseases that do not (or rarely) occur in Canada

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) actively seeks to identify and evaluate information about new, unusual or rapidly evolving health risks. When necessary, PHAC releases Travel Health Notices outlining the potential risks to Canadian travellers and to the Canadian public, and recommends measures that can be taken to help reduce these risks.

Level 1 - Practise usual precautions

Travel health notices advise practising usual travel health precautions. For example, notices at this level may remind travellers about routine vaccinations, highlight the importance of hand washing, or recommend protective measures to avoid mosquito bites.

Level 2 - Practise special precautions

Travel health notices recommend that travellers practise special health precautions, such as receiving additional vaccinations. A notice at this level would be issued if there is an outbreak in a limited geographic location, a newly identified disease in the region or a change in the existing pattern of disease.

Level 3 - Avoid non-essential travel

Travel health notices include a warning to avoid non-essential travel in order to protect the health of Canadian travellers and the Canadian public. The notice outlines specific precautions to take when visiting the region and what to do if you become ill during or after travel. A notice at this level would be issued during a large-scale outbreak in a large geographic area, or if there is increased risk to the traveller and an increased risk of spreading disease to other groups including the Canadian public.

Level 4 - Avoid all travel

Advises travellers to avoid all travel in order to protect the health of the Canadian public. A notice at this level would be issued if there is a high risk of spread of disease to the general public regardless of measures taken while travelling. Avoiding travel will limit the spread of the disease in Canada and internationally.

Date modified: