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Yellow fever

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Yellow fever

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Travel Warning

NOTE: This is an article about health issues. While contributors do their best, we cannot take account of your individual health needs. Consult your doctor for individual medical advice.


    This article is a travel topic

About Yellow Fever[edit]

Yellow fever is a potentially fatal tropical disease caused by a virus that is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Illness ranges in severity from an influenza-like syndrome to severe hepatitis and hemorrhagic fever. Yellow fever can be prevented by vaccination. Travellers to areas with yellow fever transmission should take precautions against exposure to mosquitoes.


Countries where yellow fever is endemic - with CDC vaccination recommendation (may be abbreviated) as at mid-2006 in brackets - are:


Africa

CDC map of yellow fever-endemic zones in Africa in 2009.
Country Traveller's Age Additional Comments
Angola over 9 mo.
Benin over 9 mo.
Burkina Faso over 9 mo.
Burundi over 9 mo.
Cameroon over 9 mo.
Cape Verde over 9 mo.
Central African Republic over 9 mo.
Chad over 9 mo.
Congo: Democratic Republic of the Congo over 9 mo.
Congo: Republic of the Congo over 9 mo.
Côte d'Ivoire over 9 mo.
Equatorial Guinea over 9 mo.
Ethiopia over 9 mo.
Gabon over 9 mo.
The Gambia over 9 mo.
Ghana over 9 mo.
Guinea over 9 mo.
Guinea-Bissau over 9 mo.
Kenya over 9 mo. cities of Nairobi and Mombasa have lower risk of transmission than rural areas
Liberia over 9 mo.
Mali over 9 mo.
Mauritania over 9 mo.
Niger over 9 mo.
Nigeria over 9 mo.
Rwanda over 9 mo.
Sao Tome and Principe over 9 mo.
Senegal over 9 mo.
Sierra Leone over 9 mo.
Somalia over 9 mo.
Sudan over 9 mo.
Tanzania over 9 mo. city of Dar es Salaam has a lower risk of transmission than rural areas
Togo over 9 mo.
Uganda over 9 mo.


Central America & South America

CDC map of yellow fever-endemic zones in the Americas in 2009.
Country Traveller's Age Additional Comments
Argentina over 9 mo. going to the northern and north-eastern forested areas, including Iguaçu Falls
Bolivia over 9 mo. travelling to areas east of the Andes Mountains
Brazil over 9 mo. going to the endemic zone
Colombia over 9 mo. where itinerary is limited to the cities of Bogotá, Cali, or Medellín, risk is lower and travellers may consider foregoing vaccination
Ecuador over 9 mo. who are travelling to areas east of the Andes Mountains
French Guiana over 9 mo.
Guyana over 9 mo.
Panama over 9 mo. travelling to the provinces of Darien, Kunayala (San Blas) and Panama, excluding the Canal Zone
Paraguay over 9 mo. travelling to the forested areas on the east and west
Peru over 9 mo. travelling to the areas east of the Andes Mountains, except if only travelling to the cities of Cuzco and Machu Picchu
Suriname over 9 mo.
Trinidad and Tobago over 9 mo.
Venezuela over 9 mo. except if only travelling to the northern coastal area

Vaccination[edit]

A vaccine is available which provides immunity for at least ten years. Many countries will require that you be vaccinated against yellow fever if you are coming from a country where it is present or have been in such a country within the last 6 days (the incubation period). If this is the case you will need to present a "World Health Organisation International Certificate of Vaccination" with an appropriately dated certification on the "International Certificate of Vaccination or Revaccination Against Yellow Fever" page to immigration officials. This little yellow booklet will be given to you when you are vaccinated against yellow fever for the first time. Carry it with your passport: you'll typically present them to immigration officials at the same time. Re-vaccination is not longer necessary according to the CDC, however, its unknown if immigration officials will accept certificates older than 10 years.

It is generally easiest to get a yellow fever vaccination in your home country before you leave on your trip. The vaccination is not in the normal vaccination schedules of many countries outside the infected areas since it is unnecessary unless you are travelling and has a somewhat higher risk of complications than many other vaccines. You will need to especially request a yellow fever vaccination from a designated yellow fever vaccination center. Immunity is considered to start 10 days from the time of the vaccination, so be sure to get vaccinated 10 days before you enter an infected country. The vaccine is live and not entirely inactive: many people have mild flu-like symptoms for a couple of days after receiving this vaccine, so it would be good not to be planning anything strenuous in those days.

Depending on how the vaccine is cultivated, you may need to allow about half an hour for a yellow fever vaccination as you will be observed for an allergic reaction after it is administered.

Vaccination requirements[edit]

Some countries have mandatory yellow fever vaccination requirements. The exact requirements vary from country to country and may also vary from time to time. The following is a list of countries which had yellow fever vaccination requirements as at mid-2006. Countries requiring proof of vaccination upon arrival from all other countries (as opposed to only upon arrival from endemic zones) for all travellers more than one year old are marked below.

Country Proof of Vaccination
Afghanistan from other endemic zones
Albania from other endemic zones
Algeria from other endemic zones
Angola always
Antigua and Barbuda from other endemic zones
Aruba from other endemic zones
Australia from other endemic zones
Bahamas from other endemic zones
Bangladesh from other endemic zones
Barbados from other endemic zones
Belize from other endemic zones
Benin always
Bhutan from other endemic zones
Bolivia from other endemic zones
Botswana from other endemic zones
Brazil from other endemic zones
Brunei from other endemic zones
Burkina Faso always
Burundi from other endemic zones
Cambodia from other endemic zones
Cameroon always
Cape Verde from other endemic zones
Central African Republic always
China from other endemic zones
Christmas Island from other endemic zones
Democratic Republic

of the Congo

always
Republic of the Congo always
Cote d'Ivoire always
Costa Rica from other endemic zones
East Timor from other endemic zones
Ecuador from other endemic zones
Egypt from other endemic zones
El Salvador from other endemic zones
Equatorial Guinea from other endemic zones
Eritrea from other endemic zones
Ethiopia from other endemic zones
Fiji from other endemic zones
French Guiana always
French Polynesia from other endemic zones
Gabon always
Gambia from other endemic zones
Ghana always
Grenada from other endemic zones
Guadeloupe from other endemic zones
Guatemala from other endemic zones
Guinea from other endemic zones
Guinea-Bissau from other endemic zones
Guyana from other endemic zones
Haiti from other endemic zones
Honduras from other endemic zones
India from other endemic zones
Indonesia from other endemic zones
Iran from other endemic zones
Iraq from other endemic zones
Jamaica from other endemic zones
Jordan from other endemic zones
Kazakhstan from other endemic zones
Kenya from other endemic zones
Kiribati from other endemic zones
Laos from other endemic zones
Lebanon from other endemic zones
Lesotho from other endemic zones
Liberia always
Libya from other endemic zones
Madagascar from other endemic zones
Malawi from other endemic zones
Malaysia from other endemic zones
Maldives from other endemic zones
Mali always
Malta from other endemic zones
Mauritania from other endemic zones and generally for stays more than 14 days
Mauritius from other endemic zones
Montserrat from other endemic zones
Mozambique from other endemic zones
Myanmar from other endemic zones
Namibia from other endemic zones
Nauru from other endemic zones
Nepal from other endemic zones
Netherlands Antilles from other endemic zones
New Caledonia from other endemic zones
Nicaragua from other endemic zones
Niger always
Nigeria from other endemic zones
Niue from other endemic zones
Norfolk Island from other endemic zones
Oman from other endemic zones
Pakistan from other endemic zones
Palau from other endemic zones
Papua New Guinea from other endemic zones
Paraguay from other endemic zones
Peru from other endemic zones
Philippines from other endemic zones
Pitcairn Islands from other endemic zones
Portugal from other endemic zones
Reunion from other endemic zones
Rwanda always
Saint Helena (island) from other endemic zones
Saint Kitts and Nevis from other endemic zones
Saint Lucia from other endemic zones
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from other endemic zones
Samoa from other endemic zones
Sao Tome and Principe always
Saudi Arabia from other endemic zones
Senegal from other endemic zones
Seychelles from other endemic zones
Sierra Leone from other endemic zones
Singapore from other endemic zones
Solomon Islands from other endemic zones
Somalia from other endemic zones
South Africa from other endemic zones
Sri Lanka from other endemic zones
Sudan from other endemic zones
Suriname from other endemic zones
Swaziland from other endemic zones
Syria from other endemic zones
Taiwan from other endemic zones
Tanzania from other endemic zones
Thailand from other endemic zones
Togo always
Trinidad and Tobago from other endemic zones
Tunisia from other endemic zones
Turks and Caicos Islands from other endemic zones
Uganda from other endemic zones
Uruguay from other endemic zones
Vietnam from other endemic zones
Yemen from other endemic zones
Zimbabwe from other endemic zones
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