ABCs of Yellow Fever Vaccination

If you’re planning a travel adventure and are looking for a unique and exotic experience, chances are you’ve considered visiting some of the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa or South America.  Whether you want to trek through the Brazilian rainforest or catch a wave on the West African coast, these two regions of the world have a lot to offer tourists, including diverse natural landscapes, cultures and histories. However, these areas are also both labeled by the Center for Disease Control as regions with endemic prevalence of the disease yellow fever.  Luckily, learning about the disease and getting vaccinated is as easy as ABC!

Yellow fever is a viral disease transmitted by the bite of female mosquitos. Some primates are also known to carry the disease. Those infected experience a range of symptoms, most often fever, nausea vomiting, and body aches lasting several days.  After the initial symptomatic period, many patients get better without any further complications, but some enter a second “toxic” stage, which initiates liver failure; the resulting jaundice is the reason the disease was named “yellow.”  Patients who experience this toxic phase of the disease are at increased risk of hemorrhaging, and may bleed internally and vomit blood, while also experiencing any combination of other symptoms like delirium, seizures, kidney and liver failure, coma and eventually death. The World Health Organization’s statistics report approximately 30,000 yellow fever deaths annually.

 Since there is no cure or therapy, and no way to tell whether an individual will heal quickly or experience the toxic phase of the disease, vaccination is very important for all travelers with high-risk destinations. The yellow fever vaccination is a live, weakened version of the virus given as an injection by a certified travel doctor.  Side effects of the vaccine, if any, are generally mild and may include fever, aches or soreness and swelling at the site of injection. In extremely rare cases, about one person out of 125,000, severe nervous system reactions have been reported. The vaccination takes 10-14 days to be fully effective, so be sure to schedule appointment with plenty of time before take-off. Once you’ve been immunized, the vaccine is good for ten years.

Some countries have deemed yellow fever such a big problem that they’ve developed laws requiring proof of immunization before you can enter the country.  Be sure to check your itinerary thoroughly against the Center for Disease Control’s website and talk to your travel health provider, because some countries have requirements about traveling through high-risk countries, even if you’ve just passed through the airport on layover to your final destination. When you receive your yellow fever vaccination your travel doctor should also give you a yellow card, signed and stamped, that will read “International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis.”  This card acts as proof of your travel immunizations from a travel clinic, and will be needed for entry into countries with laws requiring the yellow fever vaccine.  Anyone without proof of vaccination that wishes to enter a country with a vaccine requirement may be forced to be revaccinated and detained for up to six days for observation to be sure that they are not infected, so if you want to save a lot of time and trouble, don’t forget your yellow card!  Since yellow fever is not a prevalent disease in North America, a family medicine provider may not be equipped with the vaccine and certification materials necessary for travelers headed to far-off lands.

That’s why a travel clinic staffed by practitioners who specialize in travel health medicine is often a better choice when you’re looking to get vaccinated for yellow fever in NYC.  If you live in or around New York City, consider the Travel Clinic of New York as the place to learn about and obtain your travel vaccines.  When you find a travel clinic NYC, you can make a convenient same-day, evening or weekend appointment with a travel health provider who will teach you the ABCS of yellow fever vaccination and certification, and help you plan for your travel health and safety wherever the wind takes you! Call (212) 696-5900 for your appointment today!