Vaccines for Travel: Pets and Young Children, Where to Start

Traveling with a dog, a cat, or young children to South America or Africa means handling two separate files: the animal's, which falls under administrative and veterinary rules, and the child's, which calls for personalized medical advice. This article helps you identify the vaccines to check, the order of the steps, and the deadlines you can't miss. The rules described for the animal are those of France, the country of departure or return.

Where to Start: Rules, Recommendations, and Timeline

There is no single vaccine schedule that applies to all travelers^[1]. The plan is built around actual risks, which vary with the health situation and hygiene level of the area you visit, the conditions of your stay (season, activities on site, accommodation, length), and individual factors, especially age and medical history^[2].

Two concepts need to be kept apart. A medical recommendation aims to protect you. An administrative requirement, on the other hand, means you must show a vaccination certificate to enter certain countries, either under the International Health Regulations (for example for yellow fever) or because of a specific requirement of the destination country^[2].

As for timing, plan ahead: Service Public advises checking between one and two months before departure when a vaccine is needed^[1]. The Institut Pasteur stresses the same window, so you are not caught off guard^[3].

Pets: What Entry and Return Require

For a dog or cat returning to France, the animal must be identified by electronic microchip (or by a tattoo applied before July 3, 2011 and still legible), vaccinated against rabies, and accompanied by a valid European pet passport^[4].

The rabies vaccine is valid only if it was first given to an animal at least 12 weeks old and after its identification. The vaccination becomes valid only 3 weeks after the first injection^[4]. Boosters then follow the schedule specified for the vaccine used^[4].

When returning from a third country, a clinical examination must be performed 48 hours before the animal's trip by a veterinarian authorized by the competent authority of the country of origin^[4]. Once in France, the dog or cat must be registered with the Icad, the national identification file for dogs, cats, and ferrets, within 7 days of arrival^[4].

The Rabies Antibody Test (Titer Test): Conditions and Validity

To enter France from a third country, the animal must have undergone a rabies antibody titer test at least 30 days after rabies vaccination and at least 3 months before the arrival date in France (confirm the timing with your veterinarian based on where the test is done). This is a blood test performed in a laboratory approved by the EU to verify the effectiveness of the vaccination^[4]. The result is recorded in the animal's passport^[5].

The antibody test method must be the one specified in the Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals of the World Organisation for Animal Health^[6].

Animals from certain countries are exempt from titer testing^[4]: check before departure whether this applies to your country of origin.

For a long stay, a booster vaccination may be given during the stay: ask your veterinarian for advice^[5].

Children Under Two: Which Vaccines to Check

Start with the French vaccination schedule. Before any departure, both adults and children must be up to date, especially for diphtheria, tetanus, polio, whooping cough, and measles^[7]. Your travel project is also a good time to review all vaccinations^[1].

Next comes yellow fever, recommended for any trip, especially to tropical areas of Africa and South America^[1]. For a young child, the age from which vaccination is possible must be confirmed by a doctor or an international vaccination center: do not travel without this advice.

Entry requirements vary by country: Ghana, for example, requires a yellow fever vaccination certificate for all travelers over 9 months old, regardless of where they are coming from^[8]. If you get vaccinated, you will be given an international vaccination certificate^[1].

Other vaccines depend on conditions and the length of your stay: hepatitis A and typhoid^[7]. For rabies, vaccination also depends on the type of trip, especially for young children or a stay in rural areas or far from major cities^[7]. The sources consulted do not give a minimum age for these vaccines: ask your doctor what is suitable for a child under two years old.

For dengue and chikungunya, the 2026 recommendations set minimum ages: 6 years and older for dengue, 12 years and older for chikungunya, with a first dose at least 14 days before departure^[9]. They therefore do not apply to children under two years old.

Every vaccination schedule should be personalized: ask your doctor to make sure the advice fits your situation^[1]. An international vaccination center can also see you^[7].

Rabies: Protect the Child and the Animal on Site

Rabies still exists in more than 100 countries. Once symptoms appear, it is always fatal, for animals as well as for humans^[5]. Transmission occurs through the saliva of an infected animal, via a bite, a scratch, or a lick on broken skin or a mucous membrane (eye, mouth)^[5]. The Institut Pasteur notes that an animal can transmit the virus without showing any symptoms^[3].

• Do not pet any stray animal during your stay, and remind your children to do the same^[5].
• In case of a bite, scratch, lick, or contact with a wound, see a doctor or local health authorities immediately^[5].
• Vaccination before departure should be considered based on your activity profile, and post-exposure vaccines may not be available everywhere, sometimes only in major urban centers (the CDC notes this for one country on its list of destinations); check the situation at your destination with an international vaccination center^[10].

Points to Watch

• Entry requirements and recommendations are not the same thing: a vaccination certificate may be required to enter a country, regardless of medical recommendations^[2]. Ghana, for example, requires it for travelers over 9 months old, regardless of where they are coming from^[8].
• The order of steps matters: rabies vaccination is only recognized as valid if it is performed after the animal has been identified^[11].
• Titer testing must be planned over several months: at least 30 days after vaccination and at least 3 months before arrival in France^[4].
• Animals under 15 weeks old cannot travel abroad with you^[5].
• For certain destinations, the dog must be dewormed against Echinococcus tapeworms: the treatment must be given no earlier than 120 hours and no later than 24 hours before the planned entry date, and certified by the veterinarian who administers it^[11]. This treatment is a border requirement for dogs, not a health recommendation that would automatically extend to cats or ferrets^[12].
• Health measures other than rabies may also be required: check with the embassy or consulate of the destination country^[11].
• For your own medications, keep them in their original packaging with the original labels, along with a prescription listing the drug names by their International Nonproprietary Names (INN), and check that they are authorized in the country you are visiting^[7].

Steps, in Order

• One to two months before departure: review your child's vaccination schedule with a doctor or an international vaccination center^[1].
• Several months before: check the entry requirements for your animal with your veterinarian and the embassy of the destination country^[5].
• Have the animal identified, then vaccinated against rabies, then undergo titer testing if the return to France requires it^[11].
• 48 hours before returning to France from a third country: clinical examination by an authorized veterinarian^[4].
• On arrival in France: register the animal with the Icad within 7 days^[4].