Kuwait City tends to be close to bite-free. The desert has sand flies.

Are there mosquitoes in Kuwait? A few, but Kuwait City is mostly built-up and air-conditioned, and the Ministry of Health reports no locally acquired malaria or dengue. The insects that matter more are sand flies at desert camps, which CDC lists for leishmaniasis.

No malaria, and no local dengue reported

CDC's Kuwait page lists dengue. In an October 2023 statement published by the World Health Organization's Eastern Mediterranean office, though, Kuwait's Ministry of Health reported no endogenous transmission of malaria, dengue, chikungunya or yellow fever, crediting a nationwide trap network and mosquito control. Imported dengue in returning travelers has been documented, and Kuwait isn't on CDC's global dengue list.

There's no malaria to plan for. CDC's Kuwait page has no malaria section, and WHO lists Kuwait among countries where malaria never existed or disappeared without specific measures. Yellow fever vaccine isn't recommended, and Kuwait has no yellow fever entry requirement.

Sand flies in the desert

CDC also lists leishmaniasis, spread by phlebotomine sand flies, small insects that bite from dusk to dawn. Older studies found little sign it was caught in Kuwait. A 1983 study called the skin form essentially an imported disease there, and a 1992 survey of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia found the suspected sand fly vectors but no infected ones, noting only 31 cases among the 697,000 US troops of Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Whether that has changed isn't settled. Sand flies are a recognized issue for deployed personnel in the region, and the military has its own guidance for its people.

For a night at a desert camp, spray exposed skin before sunset, wear long sleeves and trousers, ideally permethrin-treated, and sleep in a screened, air-conditioned room or under a net. CDC's Kuwait page lists MERS, which may spread to people from camels, so skip close contact with camels and raw camel milk at camps and farms.

When to go

November to March tends to be the best time, the cool season and the desert-camping season. A 1996 review credited the low disease rate among Gulf War troops partly to their deployment in the cooler winter months. Sand flies tend to be more active in the warmer months, and from June to September the heat keeps most visitors indoors.

Where you're going

Heading on to Saudi Arabia or Bahrain? Our Saudi Arabia briefing covers dengue in Jeddah and Mecca and sand flies in rural areas, and our Bahrain briefing covers the nuisance mosquitoes there.

One rule outlasts the trip. Any fever during or after your trip means a doctor visit, and you tell them you were in Kuwait. A skin sore that hasn't healed weeks after you get home is worth showing a doctor too, with the same note.

Traveler questions