Hepatitis A Vaccine for Travelers: Who Needs It, Where to Get It, and What to Expect
A PA-C's guide to the hepatitis A vaccine for travelers: who needs it, the 2-dose schedule, last-minute timing, side effects, cost, and where to book it before your trip.
Hepatitis A Vaccine for Travelers: Who Needs It, Where to Get It, and What to Expect
If you are flying to Mexico, Morocco, India, Egypt, Peru, or roughly half of Southeast Asia, you almost certainly need the hepatitis A vaccine before you go. The CDC recommends it for nearly every traveler over the age of one year heading to a country where hepatitis A transmission is anything other than "low." A single dose, given at least two weeks before departure, provides about 94 to 100 percent protection. The full two-dose series (six months apart) provides protection for at least 25 years, and likely for life. In my practice as a travel medicine PA, hepatitis A is one of the two vaccines I push hardest before any trip outside the US, alongside typhoid for higher-risk destinations. Here is exactly who needs it, the schedule that works even on short notice, and what to expect afterward.
Quick facts
- Who needs it: Almost every US traveler going outside the US, Canada, Western Europe, Japan, Australia, or New Zealand.
- How well it works: Around 94 to 100 percent protection 2 to 4 weeks after the first dose; over 99 percent after the second dose.
- Schedule: 2 doses, 6 months apart (Havrix or Vaqta). Twinrix (Hep A and Hep B combined) is 3 doses.
- Last-minute timing: Even one dose given the day before your flight provides meaningful protection for healthy adults under 40.
- Cost: $115 to $200 per dose at most travel clinics. Often $0 to $30 with commercial insurance at a pharmacy. Wandr's vaccine booking flow shows live pharmacy availability and pricing.
- Side effects: Sore arm in roughly 1 in 5 adults; fever or fatigue in fewer than 1 in 10. Severe reactions are rare.
- Brands available in the US: Havrix, Vaqta (single Hep A); Twinrix (Hep A and Hep B combined).
What hepatitis A actually is
Hepatitis A is a viral infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV). Unlike hepatitis B and C, it does not cause chronic liver disease. The infection runs its course over weeks to months and the immune system clears it. The catch: that course is miserable, occasionally dangerous, and entirely preventable.
The virus spreads through what infectious disease doctors politely call the "fecal-oral route." In plain English, it is shed in stool, contaminates food or water when sanitation is imperfect, and infects the next person who eats or drinks. It is not airborne, not bloodborne in any practical traveler sense, and not transmitted by mosquitoes. The classic exposure scenarios I see in clinic are an unpeeled mango from a street vendor in Goa, a side salad rinsed in tap water in Cairo, or shellfish harvested from contaminated coastal waters off the Yucatan.
According to the CDC, the global incidence is around 1.5 million reported clinical cases per year, with the true figure several times higher because most infections in young children are silent. Adults, on the other hand, get hit hard. About 70 percent of adults infected with HAV develop classic symptoms, and roughly 1 in 5 are sick enough to be hospitalized.
Symptoms travelers should recognize
The incubation period is long, usually 28 to 30 days, with a range of 15 to 50 days. That timeline matters because most travelers are home long before symptoms start. They blame it on jet lag, then on a stomach bug, and finally show up to urgent care looking yellow.
Typical symptoms in adults include:
- Fatigue that wipes out a workday by mid-morning
- Nausea, loss of appetite, and abdominal pain in the upper right quadrant where the liver sits
- Low-grade fever
- Dark urine, the color of black tea, often the first sign people actually notice
- Pale or clay-colored stools
- Jaundice (yellow eyes and skin) appearing several days after the GI symptoms
The illness usually lasts 2 to 8 weeks. About 10 to 15 percent of adults relapse over the following 6 to 12 months. In rare cases (less than 1 percent overall, but climbing to 1.8 percent in adults over 50 with underlying liver disease), hepatitis A causes acute liver failure. There is no antiviral treatment. Care is supportive: rest, fluids, monitoring liver enzymes, and avoiding alcohol and acetaminophen until the liver recovers.
That last point is what makes prevention worth the small cost of a vaccine. You cannot treat hepatitis A on the road. You can only wait it out.
Who needs the hepatitis A vaccine before traveling
The CDC's 2026 Yellow Book is unusually direct on this question. It recommends hepatitis A vaccine for all travelers aged 12 months and older going to countries where the risk of hepatitis A transmission is anything other than low. In practice, that covers most of the world.
You should be vaccinated before traveling to:
- Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean (excluding the US territories with high vaccination coverage), and most of South America. This includes the obvious destinations like Cancun, Cabo, Costa Rica, and Peru, plus less-discussed ones like Belize, Guatemala, and Colombia.
- All of Africa. Morocco, Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Ghana, and every country in between.
- Most of the Middle East, including Jordan, Turkey (parts), Saudi Arabia, and Israel (lower risk but still recommended).
- South Asia. India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Maldives.
- Most of Southeast Asia. Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar.
- Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. Including parts of the Balkans, Ukraine, Georgia, and Russia.
- Pacific Islands other than Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii.
You generally do not need it for travel to Western Europe, Japan, South Korea, Australia, or New Zealand, though I still recommend it for anyone planning long-term travel since the cost of being wrong is high and the cost of the vaccine is low.
The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has recommended routine hepatitis A vaccination for all US children since 2006. If you were born after that and grew up in the US, there is a good chance you are already vaccinated. Pull your immunization record before assuming you need a fresh series. If you cannot find your records, you can either get a titer (a blood test for hepatitis A antibodies) or simply restart the series. Re-vaccinating someone who is already immune is safe.
How well the vaccine works
This is one of the most effective vaccines we have. According to ACIP and CDC data, a single dose of inactivated hepatitis A vaccine produces protective antibodies in:
- Around 94 to 100 percent of healthy adults within 4 weeks
- Around 70 percent within 2 weeks
- Roughly 95 to 100 percent of children and adolescents within 4 weeks
After the second dose, immunogenicity climbs to over 99 percent and antibody levels stay measurable for at least 25 years. Mathematical modeling from the CDC suggests protection likely lasts a lifetime in most healthy people. There is no recommendation for routine boosters.
For comparison, the influenza vaccine in a typical year is 40 to 60 percent effective. The hepatitis A vaccine is in a different league.
The vaccine schedule, including last-minute travel
There are three vaccines available in the US that protect against hepatitis A. They are all inactivated (no live virus), which means they are safe for pregnant travelers, immunocompromised travelers, and infants over 12 months.
The standard Havrix or Vaqta schedule is dose 1 followed by dose 2 anywhere from 6 to 18 months later. You do not have to come back at exactly the 6-month mark. If you miss it, you do not restart. You just get the second dose whenever you can. The protection from dose 1 holds in the meantime.
What if my trip is in 2 weeks?
This is the question I hear most often, and the answer is reassuring. Get the vaccine anyway.
The CDC's 2018 ACIP update simplified the previous guidance significantly. For healthy travelers aged 12 months to 40 years, a single dose given at any point before departure (even the day before) is the recommended pre-travel protection. You do not need immune globulin (IG) on top of it.
For travelers over 40, immunocompromised travelers, travelers with chronic liver disease, or those traveling to particularly high-risk areas with departure in 2 weeks or less, the CDC recommends both the vaccine and a single dose of immune globulin given at the same visit (in different anatomical sites). IG provides immediate but temporary passive immunity (about 1 to 2 months) while the vaccine kicks in.
In the real world, IG is harder to find than it used to be. Many travel clinics no longer stock it. If you cannot get IG, do not skip the vaccine. The data still favor vaccination alone over no protection.
What if I am leaving tomorrow?
Even a vaccine given less than 24 hours before departure offers some protection by the time you encounter exposures abroad, since most exposures happen mid-trip rather than on day one. It is not a guarantee. But it is dramatically better than nothing, and the second dose 6 months later locks in long-term immunity for your next trip.
Side effects and safety
The hepatitis A vaccine has been administered hundreds of millions of times globally. The safety profile is extremely well characterized.
According to the FDA and CDC, the most common side effects in adults are:
- Soreness at the injection site: about 1 in 5 adults
- Headache: about 1 in 7
- Loss of appetite: about 1 in 12
- Fatigue: about 1 in 14
- Low-grade fever: less than 1 in 20
Side effects in children are even less common. Severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) are estimated at fewer than 1 per million doses.
The vaccine is safe in pregnancy, though as with any vaccine the official recommendation is to weigh risks and benefits. For a pregnant traveler heading to a high-risk destination, the risk of hepatitis A in pregnancy (where it can cause preterm labor and worse maternal outcomes) outweighs the theoretical risk of an inactivated vaccine.
The vaccine should not be given to anyone with a documented severe allergic reaction to a previous dose or to a vaccine component (neomycin in Havrix, latex in some Vaqta vial stoppers). That is a small list.
What it costs and how to get it without overpaying
This is where most travelers get burned. A single dose of Havrix at a traditional travel clinic typically runs $115 to $200, plus a consultation fee of $100 or more, plus administration fees. A two-dose series at a travel clinic can easily cost $500 before you walk out the door.
The same vaccine at a chain pharmacy (CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Costco, Walmart, Kroger, Publix, your local independent) usually runs:
- $0 to $30 out of pocket if you have commercial insurance that covers ACIP-recommended vaccines (most do, since hepatitis A is on the routine adult schedule for travelers).
- $80 to $130 cash without insurance.
The catch: pharmacy availability is wildly inconsistent. Calling four pharmacies on a Tuesday afternoon to find one with both Havrix in stock and a pharmacist credentialed to administer travel vaccines is genuinely the most painful part of pre-trip prep. This is why we built Wandr's vaccine booking tool the way we did. You enter your zip code and your travel destinations, and we pull live availability from local Walgreens that stock the vaccines you need. You book the appointment online and walk in to get the shot. No phone tag. No drive across town to the one travel clinic in your metro area.
If you have a high-deductible plan or no insurance, ask the pharmacy for the cash price before they run your insurance. Sometimes cash is cheaper than your copay.
How hepatitis A vaccine fits into a full pre-trip plan
Hepatitis A is rarely the only vaccine a traveler needs. The exact list depends on destination, season, activities, and personal medical history. A typical pre-trip stack for an adult heading to a developing-country destination looks like:
- Routine vaccines updated: MMR, Tdap, polio booster if not given as an adult, varicella if non-immune
- Hepatitis A: almost always
- Typhoid: for most destinations outside North America, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand
- Yellow fever: for parts of sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America (see our Yellow Fever Vaccine guide)
- Hepatitis B: for longer trips, healthcare exposure, sexual contact, or shared-needle activities (consider Twinrix)
- Rabies pre-exposure: for rural, long-term, or high-exposure trips
- Japanese encephalitis: for rural Asia in transmission season
- Meningococcal: for the Saudi Hajj, Sahel meningitis belt during dry season
You can sort all of this in 10 minutes with our Pre-Trip Health Check. It maps your itinerary against CDC recommendations and produces a personalized list of what to book and when.
Frequently asked questions
Do I really need the hepatitis A vaccine for a one-week trip to Mexico?
Yes. Hepatitis A is endemic throughout Mexico, including resort areas. The CDC recommends it for all unvaccinated travelers regardless of accommodation type. All-inclusive resorts have had documented outbreaks. The incubation period is long enough that exposures during a one-week trip can land you in urgent care a month after you are home.
How soon before my trip should I get the hepatitis A vaccine?
Ideally 2 to 4 weeks before departure to allow protective antibodies to develop. That said, the CDC's current guidance is clear: get it whenever you can, even the day before you fly. Some protection beats none, and you will be set for future trips.
Is the hepatitis A vaccine the same as the typhoid vaccine?
No. They protect against different infections and are given separately. Many travelers need both before going to South Asia, parts of Africa, or much of Latin America. They can be given at the same appointment in different arms.
What is the difference between Havrix and Twinrix?
Havrix is hepatitis A only and requires 2 doses 6 months apart. Twinrix is a combined hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccine and requires 3 doses (months 0, 1, and 6). Twinrix is convenient if you need both vaccines anyway. It is not a faster path to hepatitis A protection.
Can I get the hepatitis A vaccine while pregnant?
The hepatitis A vaccine is inactivated, which means there is no theoretical risk of fetal infection. The CDC and ACIP say it can be given in pregnancy when the benefits (real-world exposure risk during travel) outweigh the theoretical risks. Most travel medicine clinicians give it routinely to pregnant travelers heading to endemic areas.
How long does the hepatitis A vaccine last?
After the full 2-dose series, antibody levels remain protective for at least 25 years based on follow-up data, and modeling suggests likely lifetime protection. The CDC does not currently recommend boosters for healthy adults who completed the series.
What if I had hepatitis A as a kid?
Natural infection produces lifetime immunity. You do not need the vaccine. If you are not sure whether you had it, a hepatitis A IgG antibody titer (a simple blood draw) can confirm immunity.
Can my kids get the hepatitis A vaccine before our trip?
Yes. The hepatitis A vaccine is approved and recommended for children 12 months and older. Most US children born after 2006 received it as part of routine childhood immunization. If your child has not had it, get it before any international trip outside Western Europe, Canada, Japan, Australia, or New Zealand.
How much does the hepatitis A vaccine cost without insurance?
Cash price at chain pharmacies typically runs $80 to $130 per dose. Travel clinics charge $115 to $200 plus consultation fees, so the same series at a pharmacy can save $200 to $400. Wandr's booking tool shows live local pricing.
Where can I get the hepatitis A vaccine near me?
Most large chain pharmacies (CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Costco, Walmart, Kroger, Publix) carry it, as do independent pharmacies, primary care offices, and travel medicine clinics. Availability varies by location. Wandr's vaccine booking tool finds verified local availability and lets you book online without calling around.
The bottom line
Hepatitis A is one of the most preventable serious illnesses a traveler can pick up, and the vaccine is one of the safest and most effective in modern medicine. If you are heading to Mexico, Central or South America, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, or most of Southeast Asia, you should be vaccinated. A single dose, even given right before you fly, provides meaningful protection. The full two-dose series sets you up for life.
The piece that trips most travelers up is logistics, not medicine. Pharmacies stock unevenly, traditional travel clinics overcharge, and most people have no easy way to compare. We built Wandr to fix that. You can pull a personalized vaccine list with our Pre-Trip Health Check, then book your hepatitis A vaccine at a local pharmacy through our vaccine booking tool. The whole process takes under 10 minutes online. Same vaccine, same FDA-approved product, far less money and hassle.
Safe travels.
About the author
Mark Karam, PA-C, is a board-certified physician assistant with a clinical background in emergency medicine and travel health. He is a co-founder of Wandr Health, where he focuses on building accessible travel medicine for US travelers heading abroad.
Medical disclaimer
This article is for general informational and educational purposes and is not medical advice. Vaccine recommendations depend on individual health history, destination, season, and current outbreak data. Talk to a licensed clinician (or use Wandr's Pre-Trip Health Check) for personalized guidance before any international trip.
Sources
- CDC Yellow Book 2026, Hepatitis A chapter. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2026/preparing/hepatitis-a
- CDC, Hepatitis A FAQs for the public. https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hav/afaq.htm
- CDC ACIP Recommendations, Hepatitis A. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/acip-recs/vacc-specific/hepa.html
- World Health Organization, Hepatitis A. https://www.who.int/teams/immunization-vaccines-and-biologicals/diseases/hepatitis/hepatitis-a
- Nelson NP, Weng MK, Hofmeister MG, et al. Prevention of Hepatitis A Virus Infection in the United States: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, 2020. MMWR Recomm Rep 2020;69(No. RR-5):1–38. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/rr/rr6905a1.htm