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Do you need malaria pills for Senegal?
Yes, as a rule. Health authorities list all of Senegal as a malaria area, all year, and recommend preventive medication chosen with a doctor. The risk is higher in the southeast and in the rainy season. Any fever up to a year after you return is an emergency.
Yes: for malaria in Senegal, the health authorities we checked recommend preventive medication for most travelers, everywhere in the country and all year. The risk is higher in the south and southeast (Kolda, Tambacounda, Kédougou) and during the rainy season, and lower in Dakar in the dry season, but no official source leaves any region out. The medication is chosen with your doctor or a travel clinic before you leave. Bite prevention is always essential, and any fever during the trip or up to a year after you return is an emergency.
This article is not medical advice. It sums up what the WHO and the British, Canadian, French and Senegalese health authorities say, to help you prepare for your appointment. The general rules (medications, repellents) are in our guide to malaria prevention in Africa.
Malaria in Senegal: what official sources say
Every source we checked describes the same risk. The parasite involved is almost always Plasmodium falciparum, the one behind severe cases. It is present across the country, all year.
The WHO says so in its country list published in 2022. It puts Senegal in category C: bite prevention plus preventive medication. It adds one nuance: the risk is lower from January through June in the central western regions.
The British authorities agree. Their 2026 guidelines rate Senegal as high risk, with no regional exception. The UK travel health service TravelHealthPro recommends preventive medication for the whole country.
The Government of Canada recommends antimalarial medication for most travelers. Its public health agency lists a risk in all regions. The Institut Pasteur also reports year-round transmission across the country, with preventive medication.
Malaria risk due predominantly to P. falciparum exists throughout the year in the entire country.
Official positions at a glance
| Source | Risk areas | Preventive medication | Nuance |
|---|---|---|---|
| WHO (2022) | Whole country, all year | Yes (category C) | Lower risk from January through June in the central west |
| UK, UKHSA (July 2026) | Whole country | Yes, high risk | No exception |
| Canada (September 2025 and October 2026) | All regions | Yes, for most travelers | No exception |
| Institut Pasteur | Whole country, all year | Yes | No exception |
| France Diplomatie (September 2026) | All year | Talk to a doctor | Lower risk from January to the end of June in the central west |
We were not able to consult the CDC's Senegal page for this article, so it is not in the table.
Where the sources differ
The only difference concerns the central west of the country, where Dakar and the Petite Côte are. The WHO and France Diplomatie (the French foreign ministry's travel advice) report a lower risk there from January to June. They do not say that medication is unnecessary there.
We go with the most cautious advice: preventive medication for the whole country, in every season, unless your doctor says otherwise. Only your doctor can adapt that decision to a very short stay in Dakar alone, in the dry season. Do not make that call on your own.
Where and when the risk is highest
Senegal's national malaria control program (PNLP) tracks the disease district by district. Its figures concern residents, not travelers. Still, they show clearly where the risk is concentrated.
The southeast and the center, the hardest-hit regions
Malaria in Senegal is clearly declining. According to the health minister, incidence fell from 22.8 to 12.8 cases per 1,000 people between 2024 and 2025. In June 2026, the PNLP coordinator counted 73 districts out of 79 in the pre-elimination phase, meaning fewer than five cases per 1,000 people a year.
Three regions stand out: Kolda, Kédougou and Tambacounda, which the PNLP calls "KKT." They sometimes record 100, 200 or more cases per 1,000 people, according to its coordinator. In 2024, the Kédougou region had 230 to 700 cases per 1,000 people, according to figures reported by Le Soleil.
The Ministry of Health also calls for extra vigilance in Kaolack and Touba, for its 2026 rainy season campaign.
The rainy season, from July to October
In Senegal, the rains usually start in June or July and last until October. According to the PNLP, as cited by Africa Check, transmission mostly happens during this season and at the start of the dry season. The peak falls in October and November. The rains arrive earlier in the south than in the north.
In Kédougou, transmission starts earlier because of the rainy season, according to the region's health authorities. Children there receive seasonal preventive treatment, in several rounds during the rainy season.
| Your trip | Risk level, according to the sources | What the authorities advise |
|---|---|---|
| Dakar, Petite Côte, January to June | Lower (WHO, France Diplomatie) | Preventive medication recommended for the whole country |
| Dakar, Saint-Louis, Petite Côte, July to December | Transmission season, peak in October and November (PNLP) | Preventive medication recommended |
| Kaolack, Touba | Extra vigilance (Ministry of Health, 2026) | Preventive medication recommended |
| Kolda (Upper Casamance), Tambacounda, Kédougou, Niokolo-Koba | Highest transmission in the country (PNLP) | Preventive medication recommended |
Watch out
A low number of cases among residents does not protect a traveler. Travel recommendations are written for people with no immunity: they cover all of Senegal, Dakar included.
Preventive medication: a medical decision
Malaria prevention medication, or chemoprophylaxis, is taken before, during and after the trip. It requires a prescription. Book an appointment with your doctor or a travel clinic. Canada advises seeing a provider preferably six weeks before you leave.
The three medications doctors choose between
For Senegal, every source we checked lists the same options: atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline and mefloquine. None is best for everyone. We give no doses or schedules: only your prescriber sets them.
The choice depends on your situation:
- pregnancy, plans to become pregnant, or breastfeeding;
- a child's age and weight;
- your health conditions, medical history and other medications;
- how long you stay and which regions you visit;
- medications you have tolerated well or badly in the past.
Our article on malaria prevention in Africa covers the main contraindications published by the authorities. It also explains why artemisia tea does not protect you.
Our advice
Bring your day-by-day itinerary to the appointment, including nights outside Dakar. A trip through the Saloum or the Casamance is not prepared like three days in Dakar.
Preparing the appointment around your route
Our 2-week Senegal itinerary covers Dakar, Saint-Louis, the Petite Côte and the Sine-Saloum. Its Casamance variant heads south. A stay in Niokolo-Koba National Park or Bassari country takes you into the Tambacounda and Kédougou regions, the hardest hit.
Also mention nights in campements (simple lodges), by the river or in the bolongs, the mangrove creeks. Your doctor needs to know where you will sleep.
Get your medication in your own country, with a prescription. The French recommendations warn that medications bought abroad can be counterfeit.
Bite prevention, everywhere and always
No medication protects you 100%. Bite prevention is essential everywhere in Senegal, even in Dakar, with or without preventive medication.
The Anopheles mosquito, which transmits malaria, bites mostly from dusk to dawn. In Senegal, that is dinner time on the terrace, sunset canoe trips and nights in campements.
- Apply a recognized skin repellent from nightfall, on exposed skin.
- Wear long, light-colored clothes in the evening.
- Sleep under an insecticide-treated net, unless the room is air-conditioned or well screened, as the British authorities advise.
- For a child or during pregnancy, ask your doctor or pharmacist which repellent to use.
The recommended repellent concentrations are compared in our guide to malaria prevention in Africa.
Our advice
Before booking a campement in the Saloum or the Casamance, ask whether it provides nets in good condition. If not, bring your own.
A fever, even a mild one: an emergency
Any fever during the trip or after your return should make you think of malaria, even if you took your medication correctly. See a doctor the same day. Tell them you have been to Senegal and which regions you visited.
The sources do not give the same time frame. The French 2026 recommendations and the Institut Pasteur say 3 months after your return. France Diplomatie mentions the following weeks. The British and Canadian authorities go up to one year. We go with the most cautious advice: one year.
Watch out
Fever, chills, headache or body aches during the trip or in the year after: see a doctor right away, there or at home. Do not take leftover medication without medical advice.
While in the country, go to a reputable health facility. Insurance that covers medical costs and evacuation is essential, as our Senegal page points out.
What about yellow fever?
Senegal is also a yellow fever area, according to TravelHealthPro, which recommends the vaccine from 9 months of age. On the entry requirement, the sources differ. The Senegalese government announced on March 9, 2026 that a vaccination card is no longer mandatory at entry, while vaccination remains advised. The WHO, the Institut Pasteur and TravelHealthPro still list a certificate requirement for travelers arriving from a country with risk, or who transited through one.
To be safe, get vaccinated at least 10 days before you leave and keep the certificate with your passport. One dose is valid for life for most adults (WHO, 2016). Each traveler checks their own case on our Senegal entry requirements page.
Our advice
A single appointment can cover preventive medication, yellow fever and your boosters. Book early, preferably six weeks before you leave.
TravelHealthPro also reports a diphtheria outbreak: 161 confirmed cases as of October 5, 2026, in 12 of 14 regions. Check your boosters at the same appointment.
Also check your own government's travel advice.
Frequently asked questions about malaria in Senegal
Do I need malaria medication for a trip to Dakar only?
The authorities we checked recommend preventive medication for the whole country, Dakar included. The WHO notes a lower risk from January through June in the central west, where Dakar is. Only your doctor can judge whether your trip calls for a different decision.
Is the risk the same in the dry season?
No. Transmission is higher during the rainy season and just after, with a peak in October and November, according to the PNLP. But it does not stop: every source describes a year-round risk.
Can I buy antimalarials in Dakar?
It is not advised. The French recommendations warn about counterfeits, and most medications have to be started before departure. Get yours prescribed at home.
Is there a malaria vaccine for travelers?
No. The two existing vaccines, RTS,S and R21, are recommended by the WHO for young children who live in malaria areas. They replace neither preventive medication nor bite prevention.