Getting shot in NYC may not sound like something you’d wish for, but if your plans include an overseas journey and the shot is an inoculation for yellow fever all of a sudden it starts to sound pretty smart. It all boils down to that protection-thing again, and as anyone who has ever crossed the Atlantic or Pacific for work, holiday or vacation knows—a vaccination first could save a lot of money and misery later on.
Yellow fever still runs rampant in large areas of the world. If planning a trip to any country in Africa or to countries in Central or South America, a yellow fever shot should be administered to protect against acquiring this disease. We live isolated, in a pretty healthy part of the world—with NYC one of the best cities in the country when it comes to medical care. With all the fuss about health care these days, it’s sometimes easy to forget just how safe we are in the western world when it comes to diseases like yellow fever.
On large swaths of globe yellow fever is still a dangerous potentiality —and according to the World Health Organization—it infects almost a quarter of a million people a year. Out of this number a shocking 30,000 will die. The proper protection—via a yellow fever inoculation—can only be had at a certified travel clinic. In fact, many countries will not even allow entry until they see proof of this shot. In NYC you have many choices as to where to receive this potentially life-saving shot.
What is yellow fever and why is still dangerous in some parts of the world? Yellow fever is a serious disease caused by a virus and spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. (In NYC we have our fair share of mosquitoes but they are safe as they are not infected with the virus that causes yellow fever.) It is not possible to catch yellow fever from another person. It can only be caught if you are bitten by an infected insect. Monkeys also carry the disease and a bite from one of them can also transfer the infection, but since not too many people are being bitten by monkeys these days (even on the wildest of vacations!) we’ll stick to the mosquito mode of transmission in this article.
The “yellow” in the name yellow fever refers to the jaundice-like symptoms that affect some sufferers. Jaundice is the yellowing of the skin caused by a breakdown of liver function. Other symptoms of yellow fever include fever and flu, vomiting blood, liver, kidney, respiratory and other organ failure that can lead to death if the travel vaccination is not administered.
Throughout history yellow fever has caused some devastating epidemics resulting in catastrophic causalities. One such deadly outbreak occurred in 1802 when the disease struck French soldiers fighting in Haiti. Statistics reveal that up to half the entire French army was killed by this frightening disease. A little closer to home (but thankfully not NYC), over 5,000 people in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania were infected by yellow fever when political refugees from the Caribbean arrived and spread the virus
Being a proud citizen of America, and NYC in particular, you can choose one of many certified travel clinics to administer your yellow fever vaccination in nyc. Log onto Travel Clinic NYC for more information on a great neighborhood facility located just blocks from Grand Central Station. Travel Clinic in NYC is run by a board-certified medical doctor whose specialty is inoculations and vaccines for all manner of travelers. Call 1-212-696-5900 to arrange an appointment today!
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