In Papua New Guinea, the travel-clinic visit comes first.
- Travel clinic CDC recommends medicine or vaccines for some areas · which ones
- No CDC travel notice for mosquito-borne disease
CDC recommends prescription malaria medicine throughout the country below 2,000 m (6,500 ft), an area that takes in every main stop, from Port Moresby and the Sepik to Rabaul and the Highlands show towns. Dengue and Japanese encephalitis are endemic too, so the routine runs day and night.
Are there mosquitoes in Papua New Guinea? Yes, and in every main tourist area they can carry malaria. CDC recommends prescription malaria medicine "Throughout the country in areas <2,000 m (<6,500 ft) elevation," and Port Moresby, the Sepik, Milne Bay, Rabaul and the Highlands show towns all fall inside that area. Plan the travel-clinic visit first, then a routine that covers the night for malaria and the day for dengue.
Malaria below 6,500 feet
About three quarters of PNG's malaria is Plasmodium falciparum and a quarter P. vivax, and CDC notes chloroquine resistance in both. It lists atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine and tafenoquine as the prevention options and says, "Fill your malaria prescription before you leave and take enough with you for the entire length of your trip."
What we suggest you do with this: book a travel-medicine appointment 4–6 weeks before departure and bring the whole route, river lodges and trekking nights included. Ask about Japanese encephalitis vaccine at the same visit. CDC recommends it for stays of a month or more and suggests considering it for shorter rural trips. Our malaria-zone checklist covers everything around the prescription.
CDC's Level 2 Global Polio notice also lists PNG, and CDC says adults who completed the childhood series may get a single lifetime booster dose of inactivated polio vaccine, so raise that at the same appointment.
Dengue and the day shift
Dengue is endemic. Outbreak investigations from late 2015 to mid-2017, published in 2022 in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, found DENV-1 and DENV-2 strains that had circulated for up to a decade, plus low levels of Zika. CDC also lists Ross River virus and Zika for PNG, with no current Zika outbreak. Surveillance is thin, and there's no recent national dengue count to go by. The day-biting Aedes mosquito behind dengue peaks after sunrise and in the late afternoon, so in towns and on cruise days, put repellent on in the morning as well as at dusk. Our dengue & Zika routine has the schedule. If you're pregnant, review CDC's Zika guidance with a healthcare provider before you book.
Nights, nets and the wet season
Malaria mosquitoes bite from dusk to dawn. Travelers single out the Sepik River for night mosquitoes, while the Highlands and Rabaul tend to be lighter. Wear long sleeves and trousers after dark, use repellent from dusk, and sleep under a permethrin-treated net. On the Kokoda Track, bring a self-standing or hammock-style net. The wet season, roughly December to April in the lowlands and on the coast, tends to bring more mosquitoes, and Port Moresby's main hospital has linked rises in dengue and malaria to heavy rain. Roughly May to October tends to be drier and easier, though the malaria advice doesn't change by month.
CDC doesn't recommend the yellow fever vaccine, and PNG asks for proof only from travelers 1 year or older arriving from a country with yellow fever risk, including layovers of more than 12 hours there. Island-hopping on to Vanuatu? Our Vanuatu briefing covers CDC's malaria advice for every island there.
Where you're going
Port Moresby
Inside CDC's malaria area, like all of PNG below 6,500 ft. Day-biting dengue mosquitoes are the other issue in town, and Japanese encephalitis has been acquired near the city.
Mount Hagen & Goroka
Inside CDC's malaria area, so the clinic visit applies to a Highlands show trip too. Travelers find the Highlands light on mosquitoes, but keep the dusk-to-dawn routine.
The Sepik River
Lowland river villages and lodges inside the malaria area, and the stop travelers single out for night mosquitoes. Long sleeves, repellent from dusk and a treated net every night.
Rabaul & Kokopo
Coastal and inside CDC's malaria area, cruise days included. Travelers report few mosquitoes in Rabaul, but put repellent on before you go ashore for the day-biting dengue mosquito.
The Papua New Guinea kit
- Picaridin 20% travel sprays: odorless in the heat, layers over sunscreen and quick to reapply at sundown. 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. Treated fabric repels and kills mosquitoes on contact through several washes, which suits the dusk-to-dawn hours. Clothing only, never skin.
- A treated bed net, self-standing or hammock-style if you're trekking or staying in river villages.
What travelers report
Paraphrased from TripAdvisor threads and reviews and linked so you can read them in full. None is dated, and bites in PNG vary a lot with the place, the season and where you sleep.
- Highlands and Rabaul
An independent traveler's trip report said there were very few mosquitoes in the Highlands and in Rabaul. TripAdvisor ↗
- Tufi Resort, Oro Province · rainy season
Answers to a question about mosquitoes at Tufi conflicted: one said there were none at all, another, citing the resort's reviews, said there are lots in the rainy season, and one noted there is malaria in the Tufi area. TripAdvisor ↗
- Kokoda Track
A trekker noted that keeping mosquitoes off in the trail huts is tricky because the sleeping platforms make mosquito nets hard to use. TripAdvisor ↗
Any fever during or after your trip means a doctor visit, and you tell them you were in Papua New Guinea. After time in a malaria area, that rule holds for a year.
Traveler questions
Do I need malaria pills for Papua New Guinea?
CDC recommends prescription malaria medicine for travel throughout PNG below 2,000 m (6,500 ft), which takes in Port Moresby, the Sepik, Milne Bay, Rabaul and Kokopo, and the Highlands show towns. The prescription itself is a call for a travel clinic, made with your route and dates 4–6 weeks before departure. CDC says to fill it before you leave and take enough for the whole trip. Our malaria-zone checklist covers the rest.
Are the Mount Hagen and Goroka shows inside the malaria area?
Yes. CDC's malaria area covers everywhere in PNG below 2,000 m (6,500 ft), and the Highlands show towns fall inside it. Travelers do find the Highlands lighter on mosquitoes than the coast, but the clinic visit and the dusk-to-dawn routine apply to a show trip just as they do to Port Moresby.
Do I need the Japanese encephalitis vaccine for PNG?
Japanese encephalitis occurs in PNG, mostly in rural communities, and a case acquired near Port Moresby was reported in 2004. CDC recommends the vaccine for stays of a month or more or frequent trips, and suggests considering it for shorter trips with rural areas, hiking, camping or nights without air-conditioning, screens or nets. A Sepik or Kokoda itinerary is worth raising at the clinic.
What should I do on a cruise stop in Rabaul or Kokopo?
Put repellent on before you go ashore, since dengue's mosquito bites in daylight, and reapply after swimming. East New Britain is inside CDC's malaria area, so mention the port calls when you see the travel clinic, and tell a doctor you were in PNG if you get a fever afterward.
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 destination page for travelers
- CDC Travel Health Notice
- Peer-reviewed study (PubMed Central)
- portfolio.jcu.edu.au
- pnghausbung.com
- World Health Organization
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- CDC Travelers' Health
- Government source (aciar.gov.au)
- mja.com.au
- CDC Travel Health Notice