Around 4-6 weeks before visiting India, you should see your doctor. You will need to be sure that your routine immunisations (for flu, chickenpox, polio, measles and tetanus) are up to date, and you’ll need to have a few extra inoculations, just to be safe.
There are no compulsory inoculations if you are traveling to India from the United States, Canada or Europe, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be inoculated against typhoid and hepatitis, as well as rabies, just in case. There’s no risk for yellow fever in India, but if you will be living in or traveling to rural areas, getting inoculated against Japanese encephalitis is a must.
Malaria is a risk in some parts of India, so be sure to find out whether you’ll need to take anti-malaria medication before you leave, and use insect repellant as an extra precaution. Insect repellant in rural areas will also help you avoid dengue fever and leishmaniasis.
If you suffer from asthma or any other chronic illness, be sure to stock up on your medicine and take it with you, along with a prescription from your doctor, and a note explaining why you need to bring the medicine into the country, in case airport officials question you. It’s also a good idea to bring along some dysentery tablets, and a broad spectrum antibiotic, just in case.