Planning For Healthy Travel: Yellow Fever Vaccine

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that approximately 4 million travelers to developing regions are ill enough to seek health care, either while abroad or upon returning home. While traveling internationally is already a painstaking process, involving visas, careful planning, packing, itineraries, a trip to the travel clinic must also be added to this list.

 The CDC notes that in order to ensure a healthful business or tourist excursion, one must adopt some preventative measures. In accordance with the Travel Health Notices they publish consistently, are necessary travel vaccinations. One such is the yellow fever vaccine. Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes. The "yellow" in the name refers to the jaundice that affects some patients once bitten. According to the World Health Organization, 50% of severely affected persons will die if left untreated. Given these sorts of statistics, preventative measures are most responsible.

  

While there are many reasons to get vaccinated for yellow fever, the acute rapidity of the illness is most alarming. Once bitten, symptoms will ensue within 3 to 6 days. The symptoms of Stage 1 infection include  Headache, muscle and joint aches, fever, flushing, loss of appetite, vomiting, and jaundice are common. Though symptoms often go away briefly after about 3 to 4 days and stage 2 may be possible remission, some persons worsen drastically within 24 hours. Stage 3, called intoxication is marked by problems with many organs including heart, liver, and kidney failure, bleeding disorders, seizures, coma, and delirium.

In order to prevent these caustic symptoms and possible death, a yellow fever vaccine should be prearranged at a certified travel clinic about 10 to 14 days before traveling. Ultimately, alongside the three pairs of bright swimsuits you’re packing, sunscreen and new shoes you bought yesterday just for this excursion, should be travel vaccines. The yellow fever vaccine is but one that may be necessary.