Depending on where you are coming from or which part of Malaysia you are travelling to, you will have to consider different vaccacinations and measures of precaution.
If you have spent more than 3 months in a country with a high risk of yellow fever prior to your departure to Malaysia, you will have to provide an international certificate of vaccination against yellow fever.
Note that such a vaccination takes ten days before being effective. Special caution is advised with yellow fever vaccinations for infants between the ages of six months and one year as side effects are known to occur. If your child is this age, it must not get immunised to yellow fever!
Futher vaccinations that are recommended include the following:
Aditionally, for a stay exceeding 4 weeks:
If you are travelling to Malaysia's tropical and regions you might be exposed to the danger of malaria and dengue fever infection. Infections of the latter usually increase during or after the rainy season. Both diseases are transmitted by mosquito bites, thus take extra precaution:
As regards food and water precautions Malaysia is generally a safe country. Tap water is safe to drink, only in rural areas is it recommended to drink boiled water. A high standard of food hygiene is provided by the Ministry of Health and those involved in food preparation or food vending undergo regular controls. Nevertheless, use your common sense when consuming food. Choose clean eating places and eat freshly prepared food.