Jeddah and Mecca carry Saudi Arabia's dengue. Spring is its season.

Are there mosquitoes in Saudi Arabia? Yes, and in the western cities they include Aedes aegypti, the day-biting mosquito that spreads dengue. Dengue is endemic in Jeddah and Mecca, and cases peak from March to May, at the end of the cool season most visitors choose. Riyadh, AlUla and the Red Sea resorts sit away from that focus, and the CDC lists malaria only in two regions near the Yemen border.

Dengue in Jeddah, Mecca and Medina

Ministry of Health surveillance data, analyzed in a 2026 study in BMC Infectious Diseases, show a record 15,010 dengue cases in 2023 and 6,003 in 2024, the latest full year published. Jeddah alone accounted for about 68% of the 2023 cases and Mecca for 22%, and in 2024 the two together made up nearly 80%. Cases in Medina and Jazan have also risen since 2020, while the north reports few.

Nationally, cases rise in late winter and peak from March to May, in epidemic years too. December to February is the lower-dengue part of the cool season, and a March or April Umrah or Jeddah stay carries the most exposure. The CDC's Saudi Arabia page lists dengue, and there's no CDC travel notice.

Aedes bites by day, with peaks after sunrise and in the late afternoon. In Jeddah, Mecca and Medina, put repellent on over sunscreen in the morning and again before sunset, most of all from March on. Our dengue & Zika routine has the full schedule, and our guide to bites in a dengue zone covers what to watch for afterward. For Hajj and Umrah, the CDC notes that meningococcal vaccine is required, a rule unrelated to insects.

Malaria near the Yemen border only

The CDC lists malaria transmission in the "Asir and Jazan (also spelled Jizan) Regions near the Yemen border only" and reports "No malaria transmission in the cities of Jeddah, Mecca, Medina, Riyadh (the capital), or Ta’if." It lists malaria medicine only for those border areas, and AlUla, in Medina Province, and the Red Sea resorts are outside them. If your plans include Jazan, the Farasan Islands or the Asir border areas, ask a travel clinic about malaria medicine 4–6 weeks before departure.

Riyadh, AlUla and the Red Sea

Away from the west-coast cities, a winter trip tends to be light on mosquitoes. Riyadh sees only limited, intermittent dengue, and no dengue figures single out AlUla or the Red Sea resorts. In the desert, plan for the phlebotomine sand fly. The CDC's Saudi Arabia page lists leishmaniasis, a skin infection sand flies spread, and Ministry of Health records for 2012–2023 show an average of 1,221 cutaneous cases a year, more in winter than in summer.

Sand flies bite from dusk to dawn and tend to gather around farms and desert edges, so for an evening in the desert at AlUla, spray your ankles and legs before sunset and wear long sleeves and pants after dark. WHO counted 8 sporadic MERS cases in Saudi Arabia between January 1 and October 5, 2026, so skip close contact with camels, raw camel milk and undercooked camel meat.

Where you're going

How the main stops compare for a December–April trip.

Combining Saudi Arabia with Dubai or Jordan? Our Dubai and Jordan briefings cover Dubai's dengue after the 2024 floods and the sand flies at the Dead Sea.

One rule outlasts the trip. Any fever during or after your trip means a doctor visit, and you tell them you were in Saudi Arabia and which cities you visited. Dengue usually shows up within two weeks of the bite.

Traveler questions