Solomon Islands

This tropical archipelago of over 900 islands is situated to the east of Papua New Guinea. Australians visit mainly for ecotourism – lagoons , rain forests, mangroves, volcanoes, waterfalls, and for the dive sites, which include World War 2 wrecks and spectacular reefs. Some also travel for humanitarian aid work for the benefit of the countries poor, mostly rural population.
The following information provides some broad and general guidelines about health risks and recommendations for travel to these islands. This should not be taken as a substitute for a personal consultation with one of our travel health doctors, whose advice will be specific for you and your trip and may include other issues not mentioned here.

  • Plan Head - Calendar/Itinerary?

    One of the great pleasures of travel is sampling the local cuisine. However, contaminated food and beverages are a common cause of traveller’s diarrhoea and other gastrointestinal illnesses. Safe eating and drinking practices are essential in minimising your risk of contracting traveller’s diarrhoea.

  • Mosquito's and Bugs

    In Solomon Islands mosquitos transmit a number of diseases. These include dengue and zika virus (which may cause birth defects in pregnant women). These viruses are preventable by taking precautions to avoid daytime biting mosquitos. Malaria is high risk and medication is usually recommended.

  • Eating/Drinking

    Travellers diarrhoea, giardia and dysentery are just some of the illnesses caused by contaminated food and water. Tap water in the Solomon Islands is not safe to drink.

  • Vaccine Recommendations

    Travellers should be up to date for routine childhood vaccines such as tetanus, measles and hepatitis B. Any of the following vaccines may also be recommended – hepatitis A, typhoid, influenza. Decisions regarding which are most appropriate depend on duration and nature of travel, itinerary, age underlying medical conditions and past vaccination.

List of Common Health Issues

  • Hepatitis A

    Hepatitis A vaccination is usually recommended for travel to Solomon Islands.

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  • Typhoid

    A food and water borne disease, typhoid vaccination is also often recommended.

  • Influenza

    Influenza is one of the most common vaccine preventable illnesses in travellers. In tropical climates there is no 'flu season', risk being all year round.

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  • Dengue fever

    Increasing in incidence in many parts of the world, dengue is a serious mosquito borne disease.

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  • Malaria

    This bloodstream parasite is the main risk from mozzies everywhere. Left untreated, it may cause severe illness or death, particularly in infants, pregnant women, those with underlying medical conditions and those who have never been exposed before, which includes most tourists. Strict avoidance of mosquito bites from dusk till dawn and preventative malaria medication are advised for most travellers. Any high fever after travelling to Solomon Islands requires prompt medical assessment.

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  • Marine risks

    Coral cuts, box jellyfish, stonefish and sea urchins all pose a risk to swimmers/divers/snorkelers. Seek local advice for prevention and immediate first aid for treatment. Seafood poisoning (ciguatera toxin) can be avoided by not eating large reef fish, such as snapper, groper, and barracuda (even if well cooked). For dive emergencies there is a hyperbaric chamber in Honiara.

  • Traveller’s diarrhoea

    Observe strict food and water safety precautions and hand hygiene. Consider taking a water filter if remote and a well stocked self treatment kit with guidelines for treatment of moderate to severe gastrointestinal or respiratory illness.

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  • Natural disasters

    The Solomon Islands are prone to the full spectrum of natural disasters, including earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones and volcanic eruptions. Keep a close eye on the news and the Australian government’s Smartraveller website for advice about risk mitigation.

  • Zika virus

    Not just a disease of South America, those travelling to Solomon Islands and many other destinations may be at risk of Zika virus.

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Latest Health Alerts

  • COVID 19 (Coronavirus)

    March 29, 2020

    As there is no non-essential overseas travel at this time this article will simply remain as an information resource for COVID-19. See our main COVID-19 page for more detailed information. We hope to be able to inform our travelers once again after this crisis passes. The links below remain trustworthy

  • Sri Lanka – Dengue Fever

    January 9, 2020

    Over 48,000 cases of dengue fever have been reported in Sri Lanka since 1st October 2019, a significant increase in incidence. Travellers should observe strict mosquito avoidance measures, particularly during daylight hours.

  • Solomon Islands – proof of measles vaccination required

    December 19, 2019

    As a result of recent outbreaks of measles in various countries, the Solomon Islands' will be requiring arriving travellers from/via American Samoa, Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Philippines, Samoa, or Tonga to show proof of measles vaccination, effective December 28th 2019. Vaccination needs to have been at least 15 days prior and