After You Return From Abroad

Returning from travel abroad 

Be aware of travel advisories and CDC guidelines for returning to the United States after you've traveled abroad. In certain cases, you may need a medical exam by a doctor when you return home. An exam may be needed if:  

• You have fever, diarrhea, vomiting, jaundice, urinary problems, a rash, or a skin or genital infection. Make sure to have any flu-like symptoms checked right away.

• After returning from a malaria-risk area, you develop a fever or flu-like symptoms or you become ill while traveling or within a year after returning home. See a doctor right away for medical care.

• You return from an area with outbreaks of contagious infections, such as COVID-19 or measles.

• You have been exposed to certain high-risk germs, even if you have no symptoms.

• You have engaged in casual unprotected sex or get an injection, tattoo, or body piercing. You may need to be screened for certain diseases.

• You have a chronic disease such as HIV or AIDS, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, an autoimmune disease, or liver disease. Talk with your doctor to see what they advise about medical care after returning home. 

• You have lived abroad for many months or longer. In this case, you should get a medical exam when you return. Certain diseases don't develop right away after travel, but some may appear within a few weeks. See your doctor right away if you become ill after returning from extended travel abroad.

For other cases that require a medical exam, see more after-travel information from the CDC.

There is always the possibility that you may contract an unusual disease. It could be one with symptoms that don't appear until many months after exposure (for example, malaria). Talk with your doctor for more information.