State Department Issues Level 2 Advisory for Belgium

The US State Department issued a Level 2 Travel Advisory, Exercise Increased Caution, for the country of Belgium on December 21, 2018.

This Travel Advisory is related to potential terrorist attacks in Belgium. 

Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, local government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, major sporting and cultural events, educational institutions, airports, and other public areas. 

This is important news since approximately 300,000 Americans visited Belgium in 2017.   

Belgium is located on Europe’s western coast, and the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation have their main institutions in the city of Brussels.   

Previously, on December 15th, the US Embassy in Brussels issued an alert regarding additional protests against the Global Compact for Migration. The City of Brussels has prohibited these demonstrations. 

The US State Department says if you decide to travel to Belgium, please take these preventive actions:

• Be aware of your surroundings when traveling to tourist locations and crowded public venues,
• Monitor local media for breaking events and adjust your plans based on new information,
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.

Additionally, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggested in April 2018 that visitors to Belgium should be up-to-date on routine vaccines before every trip. These vaccines include measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, varicella, polio, and annual influenza vaccination. 

And, some Belgium visitors may need hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and rabies vaccinations.   

Since some vaccines require 2 -4 weeks to establish immunity, the CDC suggests international travelers discuss their plans prior to departure with a doctor, nurse or pharmacist. 

Travel counseling sessions can be scheduled at Vax-Before-Travel.