Malaysia Embassy: 202-328-2700 Kuala Lumpur GMT +8 hrs

Entry Requirements:
Travelers should contact the Embassy of Malaysia for entry requirement information.
HIV Test: Not presently required.
Vaccinations: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from all travelers older than 1 year arriving from infected areas. A certificate also required of any traveler arriving from any country in the Yellow Fever Endemic Zones.
holera: a vaccination certificate may be required for travelers departing Malaysia for any country where cholera is endemic.
Telephone Country Code: 60

Embassies/Consulates: U.S. Embassy: 376 Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 3-2168-5000; Fax: 60-3-242-2207; Web: usembassymalaysia.org.my; E-mail: klconsular@state.gov.
Canadian Embassy: 7th Floor, Plaza OSK, 172 Jalan Ampang; Tel: 32718-3333; Fax: 6-03-2718-3399; E-mail: klmpr@dfait-maeci.gc.ca; Web: www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/kualalumpur.

Hospitals / Doctors:
International SOS (Malaysia), 138 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur; Tel: (3) 925-7733 or 926-3000; Fax: (3) 925 1311; Alarm Center Tel: (3) 925 2833.
Subang Jaya Hospital, Kuala Lumpur (244 beds); most specialties; ICU; 24-hour emergency services; used by U.S. Embassy personnel; Tel. 3-734-1212.
Gleneagles Intan Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur (330 beds); general medical/surgical facility; 24-hour emergency services; Tel. 3-457-1300.
Tawakal Hospital; 24-hour emergency service; used by U.S. Embassy personnel.
General Hospital, Kuala Lumpur (2,400 beds); used by U.S. Embassy only as an alternative to Subang or Tawakal Hospitals.
Gleneagles Medical Centre, Penang (130 beds); Tel: 4-227-6111; general medical/surgical facility with most specialties and a 24-hour emergency department.
Penang Adventist Hospital (400 beds); general medical/surgical facility; ICU.

Accidents & Medical Insurance:
Accidents and injuries are the leading cause of death among travelers under the age of 55 and are most often caused by motor vehicle and motorcycle crashes; drownings, aircraft crashes, homicides, and burns are lesser causes.
Heart attacks cause most fatalities in older travelers.
Infections cause only 1% of fatalities in overseas travelers, but, overall, infections are the most common cause of travel-related illness.
MEDICAL INSURANCE: Travelers are advised to obtain, prior to departure, supplemental travel health insurance with specific overseas coverage. The policy should provide for direct payment to the overseas hospital and/or physician at the time of service and include a medical evacuation benefit. The policy should also provide 24-hour hotline access to a multilingual assistance center that can help arrange and monitor delivery of medical care and determine if medevac or air ambulance services are required.

Animal Hazards: Animal hazards include snakes (kraits, vipers, cobras), centipedes, scorpions, and black widow spiders. Other possible hazards include tigers, bears, and wild pigs.

Cholera: This disease is reported active in this country, but the threat to tourists is very low. Cholera vaccine is recommended primarily for people at high risk (e.g., relief workers) who work and live in highly endemic areas under less than adequate sanitary conditions.
The manufacture and availability of the injectable cholera vaccine in the United States ceased in June 2000.
Many countries, including Canada, license an oral cholera vaccine. The oral vaccine is not available in the United States.
Cholera vaccine is not "officially" required for entry into, or exit from, any country. Despite this, some countries, on occasion, require proof of cholera vaccination from travelers coming from cholera-infected countries. Anticipating such a situation, certain travelers may wish to carry a medical exemption letter from their health-care provider. Travel Medicine, Inc., recommends that travelers use the International Certificate of Vaccination (Yellow Card) for this purpose, having their health-care provider state "exempt from cholera vaccine" and validate the exemption with both their signature and their official stamp (the "Uniform Stamp" in the United States).

Dengue Fever: Occurs countrywide, with increased risk in urban and periurban areas. The States most affected are the Federal Territory, Selangor, Perak, Johor, and Panang. Peak infection rates occur in the late monsoon season (October through February in east peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak; July through August in west peninsular Malaysia.) The mosquitoes that transmit dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever bite during daylight. All travelers should take measures to prevent daytime insect bites.

Filariasis: Malayan and Bancroftian filariasis are endemic countrywide in freshwater swampy areas and inland hilly forested areas. Moderate risk occurs in rural areas. Travelers should take measures to prevent mosquito bites.

Hepatitis: All nonimmune travelers should receive hepatitis A vaccine. Hepatitis E is endemic, but levels are unclear; a hepatitis E vaccine is not available; prevention consists in avoiding unsafe water, especailly well water. The hepatitis B carrier rate in the general population is estimated at 5%. Vaccination against hepatitis B should be considered for stays over 3 months and by short-term travelers desiring maximum protection. Travelers should be aware that hepatitis B can be transmitted by unsafe sex and the use of contaminated needles and syringes.

Influenza: Influenza is transmitted year-round in the tropics. The flu vaccine is recommended for all travelers over age 50; all travelers with chronic disease or a weakened immune system; travelers of any age wishing to decrease the risk of this illness; pregnant women after the first trimester.

Insects: All travelers should take measures to prevent both daytime and nighttime insect bites. Insect-bite prevention measures include a DEET-containing repellent applied to exposed skin, insecticide (permethrin) spray applied to clothing and gear, and use of a permthrin-treated bednet at night while sleeping.

Japanese Encephalitis (JE): Sporadic cases occur year-round, especially in Sarawak, Penang, Perak, Selangor, and Johore. Risk occurs primarily in areas with rice growing and pig farming. JE vaccine is recommended for travelers staying longer than 3-4 weeks in rural endemic areas, short-term frequent travelers, and expatriates. Travelers should also take evening and nighttime preventive measures against mosquito bites.

Malaria: Risk exists in remote areas of peninsular Malaysia that are off usual tourist routes, and in Sarawak (NW Borneo). Urban and coastal areas are risk free, and those making day trips to rural tourist areas have no risk. Sabah (NE Borneo) has risk of P. falciparum throughout.
Prophylaxis with atovaquone/proguanil (Malarone), mefloquine (Lariam), or doxycycline is recommended for travel to risk areas.
All travelers should take measures to prevent evening and nighttime mosquito bites. Insect-bite prevention measures include a DEET-containing repellent applied to exposed skin, insecticide (permethrin) spray applied to clothing and gear, and use of a permthrin-treated bednet at night while sleeping.

Marine Hazards: Stingrays, sea wasps, cones, jellyfish, the Indo-Pacific man-of-war, spiny sea urchins, and anemones are common in the country’s coastal waters and are potentially hazardous to unprotected or careless swimmers.

Other Diseases/Hazards: Amebiasis, angiostrongyliasis, intestinal helminthic infections (ascariasis, hookworm, strongyloidiasis, trichuriasis), clonorchiasis, paragonimiasis, leptospirosis (countrywide risk, except in urban areas), chikungunya fever, leprosy (moderate to high prevalence), rabies (last reported in 1985), scrub typhus (mite-borne; risk elevated in grassy rural areas), tuberculosis (highly endemic), typhoid fever, and trachoma (highly endemic).

Schistosomiasis: Slight risk of infection (from Schistosoma malayensisis) present in Perak and Pahang States. The human health significance of this organism is unclear. It may not be pathogenic. Travelers to these areas should avoid exposure to freshwater.

Travelers' Diarrhea: A quinolone antibiotic, combined with loperamide (Imodium), is recommended for the treatment of acute diarrhea. Diarrhea not responding to antibiotic treatment may be due to a parasitic disease such as giardiasis or amebiasis.

Tuberculosis: Tuberculosis is a major public health problem in this country. Travelers planning an extended stay should have a predeparture TB skin test (PPD test) and be re-rested after leaving this country.