Fever-Causing Diseases with Geographic Area and Incubation Periods
Diseases |
Geographic Area |
Usual Incubation Period |
Incubation Period (Range) |
| Bartonellosis | South America | - | - |
| Chikungunya | Caribbean, Central America, South America, South-Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa | 2 - 4 days | 1 - 14 days |
| Coccidiomycosis | Central America | - | - |
| Dengue | Caribbean, Central America, South America, South-Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa | 4 - 8 days | 3 - 14 days |
| Histoplasmosis | Caribbean, Central America, South America | - | - |
| Leishmaniasis | Central America | 2 - 10 months | 10 days to years |
| Leptospirosis | Caribbean, Central America, South America, South-Central Asia, Southeast Asia | 7 - 12 days | 2 - 26 days |
| Malaria (primarily P. falciparum) | Haiti/Dominican Republic, Sub-Saharan Africa | 6 - 30 days | 98% have onset within 3 months of travel |
| Malaria (primarily P. vivax) | Central America, South America | 8 days - 12 months | Approx. 50% have onset > 30 days after completion of travel |
| Malaria (primarily non-P. falciparum) | South-Central Asia, Southeast Asia | 12 to 40 days | Up to 12 months |
| Meningococcal disease | Sub-Saharan Africa | - | - |
| Schistosomiasis, acute | Sub-Saharan Africa | - | 4 - 8 weeks |
| Scrub typhus | South-Central Asia, Southeast Asia | - | - |
| Tick-borne rickettsia (main cause of fever in southern Africa) | Sub-Saharan Africa | Few days to 2 - 3 weeks | - |
| Trypanosomiasis, African | Sub-Saharan Africa | - | - |
| Typhoid or paratyphoid fever | Sub-Saharan Africa | Few days to 2 - 3 weeks | - |
| Yellow fever | South America, Sub-Saharan Africa | - | - |
| Zika | Caribbean, Central America, South America | 4 - 6 days | 3 - 14 days |
| Adapted from Tables 10.1.2 - 10.1.5 in the CDC Yellow Book. Huits, R., Hamer, D. H., & Libman, M. (2025). Post-travel evaluation of the ill traveler. In Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Ed.), CDC Yellow Book: Health information for international travel 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/yellow-book/hcp/post-travel-evaluation/post-travel-evaluation-of-the-ill-traveler.html |
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These pathways do not establish a standard of care to be followed in every case. It is recognized that each case is different, and those individuals involved in providing health care are expected to use their judgment in determining what is in the best interests of the patient based on the circumstances existing at the time. It is impossible to anticipate all possible situations that may exist and to prepare a pathway for each. Accordingly, these pathways should guide care with the understanding that departures from them may be required at times.