Yellow Fever Inoculation - Prevention is a Key

So you’re planning a big adventure and your destination country requires proof of immunization against yellow fever; want to know what yellow fever is and how to get the vaccine and certification to prove it? Many travelers are affected by the certification requirement, but if you are going to a tropical or subtropical region of Africa or South America it’s particularly applicable! Read on to learn the basics about it and why prevention is so important.

Yellow fever is a virus transmitted by female mosquito bites, as well as contact with some primates. People who contract the disease generally experience fever, body aches and nausea with vomiting for several days. After the initial infection period, some patients go on to heal without any long-term health problems, but some enter a second, toxic phase. The toxic phase causes liver damage, and the jaundice that results is the reason for the name “yellow fever.” Yellow fever is also classified as a hemorrhagic fever—in the same category as dengue, Ebola, and some strains of encephalitis—because this toxic phase of disease also causes an increased risk of bleeding. Victims may experience internal bleeding and vomit blood, and other symptoms of progressed yellow fever include delirium, seizures, kidney and liver failure, and coma leading to eventual death.

The World Health Organization reports approximately 30,000 deaths annually, and, since the 1980s, the Center for Disease Control has noted an increase in yellow fever cases and classified it as a reemerging virus. In response, many effected countries instituted a vaccination requirement for visitors. Since there is no current known cure for yellow fever, prevention is key. Some important practices to consider when protecting against insect-borne disease include utilizing insect repellent, hanging mosquito netting in sleeping areas, and wearing long-sleeved clothing. But if these yellow fever symptoms sound like something you want to avoid, obtaining a yellow fever vaccine is a safe and effective (and in many cases, mandatory) solution. Note that it takes 10-14 days for a yellow fever vaccine to take effect, so be sure to plan ahead in making your appointment to be vaccinated. Once you’re vaccinated, your travel doctor will issue an international certificate proving that you’ve been vaccinated, which is good for ten years. In rare cases, if a traveler must be exempt from the vaccination requirement for health reasons, medical waivers that are accepted by most countries can be issued, but these travelers then remain at risk of contracting yellow fever and need to take extra care to avoid insect bites leading to possible infection.

Even if you aren’t visiting a country where you are at risk of contracting yellow fever, check to be sure you don’t need a vaccine; many countries have policies that dictate requirements based on whether the traveler has passed through a yellow fever risk country, even if it’s just an in the form of airport layover, so be sure to share your travel itinerary down to the last detail with your travel health provider, or you could find yourself stuck in customs at your final destination. The Center for Disease Control’s website also contains a list of countries’ requirements for proof of immunization for yellow fever and other vaccines.