CDC's malaria advice covers all of Haiti. Plan the clinic visit first.
- Travel clinic CDC recommends medicine or vaccines for some areas · which ones
- No CDC travel notice for mosquito-borne disease
Malaria still circulates in Haiti, and CDC recommends prescription medicine for every part of the country, Labadee included. For a Christmas visit with family or an aid posting, that clinic appointment comes first, then daytime repellent for dengue and a screened or netted bed at night.
Are there mosquitoes in Haiti? Yes, in every month, and CDC recommends prescription medicine to prevent malaria for the whole country, Labadee included. Dengue and Zika are on CDC's list too, so a family visit or an aid posting starts with a travel-clinic appointment, then repellent by day and a screened or netted bed at night.
Malaria: CDC's advice covers all of Haiti
CDC lists Haiti's malaria transmission area as "All (including Labadee, also known as Port Labadee)." About 99% of cases are Plasmodium falciparum, and CDC reports no drug resistance, which is why chloroquine is still among its listed medicines.
The World Health Organization's World Malaria Report 2025 estimates that Haiti's malaria cases rose sharply in 2024, more than tripling from 2023 and making Haiti the biggest driver of the increase across the Americas. Grand'Anse and Sud, in the southwest, account for 88% of the country's cases, and both recorded sharp increases amid the sociopolitical crisis and population displacement.
What CDC says: "CDC recommends that travelers going to Haiti take prescription medicine to prevent malaria," for "All (including Labadee, also known as Port Labadee)," with atovaquone-proguanil, chloroquine, doxycycline, mefloquine or tafenoquine as the options. CDC's Level 1 notice on the diphtheria outbreak in Haiti also asks travelers to make sure their diphtheria vaccines are current, including an adult Td or Tdap booster within the last 10 years. What we suggest you do with this: book a travel-medicine appointment 4–6 weeks before departure and bring your dates and every place you'll sleep. Our malaria-zone checklist covers the rest.
Malaria mosquitoes bite from dusk to dawn, the hours of evening visits and long family dinners. Repellent at sunset, long sleeves after dark and an air-conditioned or screened room or a bed net cover most of that exposure.
Dengue, Zika and the winter season
CDC's Haiti page lists dengue and Zika, both spread by Aedes aegypti, a mosquito that bites in daylight, with peaks after sunrise and in the late afternoon. There are no 2025 or 2026 dengue or chikungunya figures for Haiti, and the Pan American Health Organization's October 20, 2026 regional update has none either. With surveillance this thin, a lack of figures tells you little. Put repellent on over sunscreen in the morning and again in the late afternoon, and empty or cover stored water around the house, where this mosquito breeds. Our dengue & Zika routine has the full schedule.
An infected pregnant woman can pass Zika to her unborn baby, CDC notes, so if you're pregnant, talk with your healthcare provider first. CDC also lists New World screwworm, a fly whose eggs infest wounds, and advises keeping wounds clean and covered and sleeping behind screens or under a net.
Haiti's rains tend to come roughly April to June and August to November, so Christmas and New Year visits generally fall in the drier, quieter months. Early December can still catch the end of the autumn season.
Where you're going
How the main stops compare for a December–April trip. The US State Department's travel advisory for Haiti is Level 4, Do Not Travel.
Port-au-Prince & Pétion-Ville
Inside CDC's countrywide malaria advice. Crowded neighborhoods with stored water tend to suit the daytime dengue mosquito, so wear repellent from the morning on and sleep in an air-conditioned or screened room.
Cap-Haïtien
The northern city and the gateway to the Citadelle. The malaria advice applies here as everywhere in Haiti, and there are no local dengue or malaria figures, so keep the full day-and-night routine.
Jacmel
On the south coast in Sud-Est, next to Grand'Anse and Sud, the two departments where WHO counts 88% of Haiti's malaria cases. CDC's malaria advice covers Jacmel too.
Labadee
CDC names Labadee in Haiti's malaria transmission area. Cruise lines have suspended calls here at times, so check with your line, and if your ship does stop, take the itinerary to a travel clinic.
Crossing into the Dominican Republic? Our Dominican Republic briefing covers its five malaria-medicine provinces, Punta Cana's included.
The Haiti kit
- Picaridin 20% travel sprays: odorless in the heat and quick to reapply before dusk. One 3.4 oz bottle lasts one person about a week.
- Permethrin 0.5% for clothes: treat a long-sleeved shirt and trousers at home 48 hours before you fly. Clothing only, never skin.
- A compact bed net for rooms without screens or steady air-conditioning.
Two last notes. Yellow fever vaccine isn't recommended for Haiti, and proof of vaccination is required only from travelers 1 year or older arriving from a country with yellow fever risk. And any fever during or after your trip needs prompt care and a malaria test, and you tell the doctor you were in Haiti.
Traveler questions
Do I need malaria pills to visit family in Haiti?
CDC recommends prescription medicine to prevent malaria for all of Haiti, listing the transmission area as "All (including Labadee, also known as Port Labadee)." The options it names are atovaquone-proguanil, chloroquine, doxycycline, mefloquine and tafenoquine. Which one suits you, and how it fits around your dates, is a call for a travel clinic, so book an appointment 4–6 weeks before departure. Our malaria-zone checklist covers the rest of the preparation.
Is there dengue or chikungunya in Haiti right now?
CDC lists dengue and Zika for Haiti, but there are no 2025 or 2026 dengue or chikungunya figures for the country, so the numbers can't tell you how active either is this winter. Haiti had a large chikungunya epidemic in 2014, according to HaitiLibre's reporting at the time. Dengue, chikungunya and Zika all spread through the same day-biting mosquito, so repellent from the morning on covers all three.
Does the malaria advice apply to a Labadee cruise stop?
CDC names Labadee, also known as Port Labadee, inside Haiti's malaria transmission area. Cruise lines have suspended calls there at times, so check with your line whether your sailing still stops. If it does, take the itinerary to a travel clinic 4–6 weeks before you sail and ask how CDC's advice applies to your day ashore.
I'm going to Haiti for aid work. What should I add?
Bring the whole plan to the travel clinic, including the departments you'll work in and how long you'll stay. WHO counts 88% of Haiti's malaria cases in Grand'Anse and Sud, in the southwest. For rural work, permethrin-treated clothing, a bed net and repellent by day and from dusk are the core of the routine. CDC also says dogs with rabies are common in Haiti and rabies vaccines are typically hard to get after a bite, so ask the clinic about vaccination before the trip if you'll be around animals or far from care.
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.