Morocco Health & Vaccination Checklist

No vaccines are legally required to enter Morocco for most nationalities (the exception is yellow fever if you are arriving directly from a country where it is endemic). That said, the CDC and most travel health clinics recommend being up to date on routine vaccines and getting Hepatitis A and Typhoid before you go. Both are transmitted through contaminated food and water — the same route as the most common traveller illness in Morocco — so the protection is practical, not theoretical.

Tap water is treated and technically meets Moroccan safety standards in cities, but the mineral content and microbial profile differs enough from what most visitors' stomachs are used to that it regularly causes mild GI upset. The safe rule: drink bottled or filtered water throughout your trip, including for brushing teeth in rural guesthouses and desert camps. Bottled 1.5-litre Sidi Ali or Ain Saiss runs about 5–8 MAD in a supermarket, or 15–25 MAD from a hotel minibar. Ice in good restaurants is usually made from purified water, but ask if in doubt.

Very common — studies suggest 20–40% of visitors experience some form of gastrointestinal upset, usually within the first week. It is rarely serious, typically lasting 1–3 days, and is almost always food- or water-related rather than a sign of infection. The triggers are usually a single high-risk meal: unwashed salad, undercooked meat from a street grill, or dairy left in warm conditions. Hepatitis A vaccination plus careful eating habits cuts the risk significantly. If you develop fever above 38.5°C or see blood, seek medical care rather than waiting it out.

Your travel health kit should cover the most likely scenarios: oral rehydration sachets for dehydration (the highest-priority item), loperamide for acute diarrhoea that stops you getting on a bus, a course of antibiotics if your GP prescribes one, antacids, and adequate sunscreen. Pharmacies (pharmacies — easily spotted by the green crescent symbol) are well-stocked in Moroccan cities and many towns, so running out of basics is rarely a crisis. Codeine and some anxiety medications require a local prescription and can cause customs complications — check before packing.

Morocco has intermediate endemicity for Hepatitis A, which means local populations have built up immunity through childhood exposure but incoming travellers have not. The risk is real and the Hepatitis A vaccine is inexpensive (typically £30–£60 / $35–$70 for the first dose) and has minimal side effects. Two doses give protection for life. If you have already had Hepatitis A or the full two-dose series, you do not need it again. Travel clinics can check your immunity with a blood test if you are unsure.

No. Morocco is officially malaria-free and has been since the early 2000s. Neither the CDC, WHO nor the UK UKHSA recommends malaria prophylaxis for Morocco, including the southern desert regions and Sahara camps around Merzouga. If you are continuing overland into sub-Saharan Africa after Morocco, that is a different calculation entirely — consult a travel health clinic for your onward route.

Yes, especially in oasis areas, the south (Draa Valley, Merzouga), and coastal towns in summer and autumn. They do not carry malaria, but they bite. DEET-based repellent (30–50%) applied in the evenings, and long sleeves after sunset during desert camp stays, keeps the nuisance low. Some Sahara camps provide mosquito nets; it is worth asking when you book, particularly in September and October when numbers peak.