Ghana checks your yellow fever card at arrival. Malaria advice covers the whole country.
Every traveler 9 months and older needs proof of yellow fever vaccination to enter Ghana, and a CDC Level 2 notice now covers an outbreak in the Upper West Region. The CDC also recommends malaria prevention medicine for all of Ghana, from Accra to the Cape Coast and Elmina castles.
Are there mosquitoes in Ghana? Yes, all year, and the CDC recommends malaria prevention medicine for the whole country, Accra, Cape Coast, Elmina and Kakum included. Ghana also requires proof of yellow fever vaccination from every arriving traveler 9 months and older, and a CDC Level 2 notice now covers an outbreak in the Upper West Region, far from the coast.
Yellow fever: the certificate and the Upper West notice
Ghana's yellow fever rule applies to every arriving traveler 9 months and older, including those flying in directly from the US. The CDC's recommendation is "Vaccine is recommended for all travelers ≥9 months old," and Ghana's entry requirement is "Vaccine is required for all arriving travelers ≥9 months old." Carry the yellow International Certificate of Vaccination with your passport.
On October 16, 2026, the CDC posted a Level 2 notice, "Yellow Fever in Ghana," which says "There is an outbreak of yellow fever in the Upper West Region of Ghana." The World Health Organization's Africa office reported suspected cases and deaths in seven Upper West districts from late August through September, with laboratory-positive cases limited to Wa West and Sissala West. It said the affected communities' closeness to forest and game reserves points to forest-cycle transmission, and Ghanaian press reported that the health ministry declared the outbreak in early October. The Upper West is in the far northwest, away from the usual Accra, Cape Coast and Kakum circuit. For travelers to the Upper West, CDC advises vaccination at least 10 days before travel and mosquito-bite prevention, and says a booster may be given if your last dose was at least 10 years ago.
What we suggest you do with this: book a travel-medicine appointment 4–6 weeks before departure. Not every clinic stocks the yellow fever vaccine, so call ahead, and the same visit settles the malaria medicine. Bring the full route, especially any trip north. Our malaria-zone checklist covers everything around the prescription, and Before you fly has the packing countdown.
Malaria after dark, dengue by day
The CDC's wording is "CDC recommends that travelers going to Ghana take prescription medicine to prevent malaria." Transmission occurs in all areas, mostly Plasmodium falciparum resistant to chloroquine, and the CDC lists atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine and tafenoquine. Malaria mosquitoes bite from dusk to dawn, so put repellent on at sunset, wear long sleeves for dinner outdoors and sleep under a net or in a screened, air-conditioned room.
Days need cover as well. The CDC lists dengue, spread by Aedes mosquitoes that bite in daylight, and Ghana Health Service issued a dengue outbreak alert in July 2024, with cases that month in the Eastern and Central Regions, Ghanaian press reported. Repellent over sunscreen in the morning, before a castle tour or the Kakum canopy walk, handles that shift. Our dengue & Zika routine has the full schedule.
When to go
The dry season, roughly December to March, tends to be the lightest for mosquitoes, when the dusty Harmattan wind blows. Southern Ghana's main rains run roughly April to July, worst on the coast from May to July, and a shorter rainy season follows around September to November. The CDC's malaria and yellow fever advice applies year-round. Heading north to Mole or the Upper West? CDC recommends meningococcal vaccine for travelers 2 months or older "traveling to areas of Ghana that are part of the meningitis belt during the dry season (roughly December to June)." The belt covers the north, so add it to the clinic list.
Where you're going
Accra
CDC makes no city exception for malaria. Traveler accounts range from no mosquitoes at all to plenty, and a net is worth packing in case a power cut stops the air conditioning.
Cape Coast & Elmina castles
Inside CDC's malaria advice and far from the Upper West outbreak, though Ghana requires the yellow fever certificate whatever your route. Central Region had dengue cases in a July 2024 outbreak, so keep a daytime repellent habit too.
Kakum National Park & the canopy walk
Rainforest, which tends to mean more mosquitoes in the rains. Repellent before the canopy walk covers the daytime biters, and a fresh coat at dusk covers the malaria hours.
The Ghana kit
- Picaridin 20% travel sprays: odorless in the coastal heat and layers over sunscreen. One 3.4 oz bottle covers about a week of daily use for one person.
- A full-size backup in the checked bag, since daytime and evening use empties a travel size fast.
- A travel bed net in case a power cut stops the air conditioning.
What travelers report
Paraphrased from TripAdvisor forum threads about Accra and linked so you can read them in full. None carries a date, and experiences vary a lot by hotel and season.
- Accra
A traveler booked into an air-conditioned hotel was told to bring a net anyway because fairly regular power cuts can knock out the AC. Another poster said AC does not stop mosquitoes already in the room and suggested spraying the room and running a fan; treated nets were said to be sold locally at gas stations. TripAdvisor ↗
- Accra
One poster said mosquitoes in Accra had dropped noticeably; others replied that malaria is still possible, and one described a serious case despite nets and repellent. One visitor never saw a mosquito in two weeks, while another found plenty and said the repellent they bought did not work. TripAdvisor ↗
- Ghana (general tips thread) · dusk and night
A long tips thread recommended repellent, long sleeves at dusk and a ceiling fan at night, and called malaria medicine a personal choice. CDC recommends malaria medicine for all of Ghana. TripAdvisor ↗
One more rule outlasts the trip. Any fever during or after your trip means a doctor visit, and you tell them you were in Ghana. Malaria can show up weeks later.
Traveler questions
Do I need a yellow fever vaccine for Ghana?
Ghana requires proof of it. The CDC's recommendation is "Vaccine is recommended for all travelers ≥9 months old," and Ghana's entry requirement is "Vaccine is required for all arriving travelers ≥9 months old." That applies on a direct flight from the US, so carry the yellow International Certificate of Vaccination with your passport. Book a travel clinic 4–6 weeks before you fly, since not every clinic stocks the vaccine.
Is the yellow fever outbreak near Accra or Cape Coast?
No. CDC's Level 2 notice covers the Upper West Region in the far northwest, away from the usual Accra, Cape Coast and Kakum circuit. For travelers going there, CDC advises vaccination at least 10 days before travel and mosquito-bite prevention, and says a booster may be given to travelers whose last dose was at least 10 years ago and who will be in a higher-risk setting such as the Upper West.
Do I need malaria pills for Accra and Cape Coast?
The CDC recommends malaria prevention medicine for all of Ghana, including Accra, Cape Coast, Elmina and Kakum, with no city exception. Which medicine fits you is a call for a travel clinic, made 4–6 weeks before departure with your full route. Our malaria-zone checklist covers the rest of the preparation.
Is there dengue in Ghana?
The CDC's Ghana page lists it. Ghana Health Service issued a dengue outbreak alert in July 2024, and cases were reported in the Eastern and Central Regions that month, according to Ghanaian press. Ghana isn't on the CDC's Global Dengue list. The mosquito that spreads dengue bites in daylight, so repellent goes on in the morning as well as at sunset.
Sources
Health authorities, surveillance reports and news coverage of official bulletins used for this briefing, last checked October 2026. Traveler reports are linked where they appear. This page summarizes public-health guidance and is not medical advice.
- CDC Travel Health Notice
- CDC destination page for travelers
- CDC Travel Health Notice
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- citinewsroom.com
- citinewsroom.com
- starrfm.com.gh
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- World Health Organization
- World Health Organization
- thestar.com.my
- gna.org.gh
- yen.com.gh
- adomonline.com