These guidelines provide governments, policy makers, conservation practitioners, researchers, great ape tourism professionals and funding agencies with recommendations of best practices for great ape health monitoring and disease prevention. It is critical that tourism and research projects involving close proximity between great apes and people assess the risks entailed, and establish and implement disease prevention and control measures. Disease prevention should be regarded as a top priority, recognising that it is easier and more economical to prevent the introduction of an infectious agent into a population, than to attempt to treat, control or eradicate a health problem once introduced. The guidelines summarise our current understanding of great ape health issues.