South Tarawa has had dengue since 2025. Kiritimati has no figures at all.

Are there mosquitoes in Kiribati? Yes, and on South Tarawa they have been spreading dengue in an outbreak that began in April 2025. Kiritimati, the Line Islands atoll where most American visitors go for bonefishing, has no dengue data at all. There is no malaria anywhere in Kiribati, so the plan is daytime repellent, applied more carefully on South Tarawa.

South Tarawa's dengue outbreak

Kiribati's Ministry of Health and Medical Services confirmed a dengue outbreak in April 2025, according to health-agency reports, and it has centered on crowded South Tarawa, from Betio to Bikenibeu. The World Health Organization's Pacific surveillance showed the 2025 wave peaking in mid-July, with a smaller second rise in September before it declined. By mid-2026, regional Pacific health alerts counted more than 2,000 cases since the outbreak began, most of them on South Tarawa, and new confirmed cases had slowed to a few a week by June. Those reports still described the outbreak as ongoing. Kiribati has no CDC travel notice and isn't on CDC's global dengue list.

The dengue mosquito bites by day, with peaks after sunrise and in the late afternoon, around homes and water containers. On South Tarawa, put repellent on over sunscreen in the morning and again in the late afternoon, choose an air-conditioned or screened room, and check whether the outbreak has been declared over before you go. Our dengue & Zika routine has the full schedule.

Kiritimati and the flats

There is no dengue data for Kiritimati. The outbreak reports give figures for South Tarawa only, and there are no traveler reports about bites at the fishing lodges or on the flats to go on. Missing figures don't make the island dengue-free, so keep a light routine. Put repellent on over sunscreen for the walk from the lodge and around the village, and reapply after wading the flats. If you spot a "Christmas Island" on CDC's Zika map, that one is the Australian territory of the same name.

CDC lists Zika for Kiribati, with past transmission and no current outbreak, so if you're pregnant, talk to a healthcare provider about potential risks before you book. CDC recommends no malaria medicine and no yellow fever vaccine, and the vaccine isn't required for entry. Leptospirosis is on CDC's page too, so avoid floodwater and muddy fresh water.

When to go

In 2025, South Tarawa's outbreak peaked in June and July, with a second rise in September, so June to September has been the hardest stretch there. A South Tarawa trip is easier outside those months and once the outbreak is declared over. Kiritimati has no dengue figures to set a season by, so the same light routine covers a fishing trip in any month.

Where you're going

How the capital and the fishing atoll compare across the year.

Adding Fiji or the Marshall Islands? Our Fiji and Marshall Islands briefings cover their 2026 dengue pictures.

One rule outlasts the trip. Any fever during or after your trip means a doctor visit, and you tell them you were in Kiribati and which islands, especially with headache, rash or body aches in the two weeks after you get home. Our after-bites guide covers the warning signs.

Traveler questions