Yellow Fever Vaccine Side Effects: Is It Worth The Risk?

Yellow fever is a devastating disease spread by the bites of mosquitoes (and primates!) and is still prevalent in Africa(Kenya, Zambia,etc), the Caribbean, and Central and South America(Brazil, Peru,etc). The yellow fever virus has probably existed in some form for thousands of years and is believed to have originated in Africa from other, very similar, viruses.

Traveling to these geographical locations where the disease is still rampant is risky without a yellow fever vaccination. Yet anyone who would rush out to get an inoculation without doing his or her homework on the effects and risks would be careless… at best.

Let us weigh the pros and cons of a yellow fever vaccine, shall we? First off, let’s look at what happens to a person who is infected with the virus. Symptoms of yellow fever include high fever, bloodshot eyes, furry tongue, nausea, vomiting, constipation, headache, muscle pains, kidney and liver inflammation, jaundice, gastrointestinal bleeding, delirium, convulsion…and vomiting blood. Although most people with yellow fever recover, between fifteen and fifty percent of patients with severe yellow fever disease succumb to it and die.

Now for the vaccination: The yellow fever vaccine has been administered for several decades. It is a live-yet-safe virus vaccine and just a single dose protects for a little over ten years. After the ten-year mark a booster shot is recommended. The vaccine can be administered to most anyone over the age of just nine months. It is recommended that pregnant women or persons suffering from any form of immune system suppression consult with a professional. This physician can help you weigh the risks of exposure against the risks of immunization.

All in all, it seems clear that anyone traveling to the above mentioned areas would benefit from receiving a yellow fever vaccination. For those located in New York City and the surrounding boroughs, the Travel Clinic NYC is a highly respected and professional medical center that is certified to administer the yellow fever vaccine, as well as many other travel related inoculations.

If international travel is in your near future, log onto get yellow fever vaccine in NYC for much more information and enjoy your travels safely.

Attention NYC: Stop Monkeying Around!And Visit a Travel Clinic Before Take Off

Do you enjoy travel? Do you dream about getting your feet wet in the sapphire-blue waters of the Caribbean or gazing onto the famed ruins of Machu Pico while in Peru? Do you yearn to down pints of Guinness inside a proper Irish pub or to stroll the Champs-Élysées with a baguette under your arm? What about slowly sipping a crisp white wine while eating fresh fish pulled from the Aegean or hand feeding a bonobo monkey at a game reserve in Africa? Let me stop here, for I can go on and on..and on. I am one of these people. I love to travel and I have been lucky enough to have experienced several of the wonderful situations mentioned above. Being from NYC, I used to think I could take care of myself while overseas—but now I employ the services of a travel clinic before I jet off on my adventures.

To many people the services of a travel clinics seems like just another expense, but that is not the case. The world is a wide and wild place and—even though I am from NYC—I don’t know half of what I think I know! For instance did you know that many countries in South East Asia, Central and South America and Africa (Tanzania, Kenya,etc) will deny you entry without a legal document from a certified travel clinic stating that you have received the yellow fever vaccine prior to your trip? I didn’t either. Good thing a friend turned me onto the services of a travel clinic before my last trip. I would have found myself in a heap of trouble—instead of tossing fruit at monkeys!

I now, it’s hard to be from NYC and think that you need help for anything. At least it was for me. What I found out regarding what a travel clinic does changed my mind. Inoculations and vaccines are so very important when traveling overseas. It seems obvious, of course, to know that one needs protection from disease when traveling to far-off parts of the world, but many people segregate this sort of thinking and forget about it till the last minute. Many vaccines are recommended to be administered six weeks before travel. Any time is good, but the ideal is six weeks. That’s a whole lot of planning.

HIV is a disease that one cannot be inoculated for, but the prevalence of it in a foreign country says a lot about the general state of health in the region. In NYC things seem to be getting a lot better regarding HIV/AIDS, but throughout the world it is a different story. Check out some of these statistics:

Asia

Some estimates say there are approximately five million people living in Asia with HIV/AIDS. Asia is the world’s most populated continent, so this number is not as high as it might first appear. In fact, the percentage of infection is less than 1% of the population.

Caribbean

During the last year it is approximated that approximately 10,000 people were newly infected here. Such a beautiful place for such an ugly disease.

Eastern Europe & Central Asia

The statistics out of this area continue to be very sad. The number of the infected is believed to be almost 2,000,000.

Central & South America

Throughout these two regions over 1,500,000 continue to live with HIV and AIDS.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Africa is the most HIV & AIDS ravaged region on Earth. Contemplate the following statistic: Africa has just 10% of the world’s population—but is home to over 65% of all people living with HIV/AIDS.

Anyone living in NYC who feels like it is time to employ the services of a travel clinic should log onto Travel Clinic NYC. It is a highly professional facility, totally discreet and helpful with all manner of travel health. I have just touched the surface with this tiny article. Visit for yourself and find out. To arrange an appointment, simply call 1-212-696-5900. They are very close to Grand Central Station, so travel there is as easy as can be. Be safe!

Traveling From New York? Protection Via a Yellow Fever Vaccination

Vacation
Your trip to Africa or Central & South America from New York should be fun and exciting, filled with new foods and sightseeing the fantastic savannahs and the temples and ruins of the Mayan or Aztec nations. The last thing on your mind should be catching a devastating disease like yellow fever. By reading this article, and receiving a yellow fever vaccination before you head off on your vacation of a lifetime, you can rest assured that you will remain healthy and illness free.

Yellow Fever
Yellow fever is a serious disease caused by the yellow fever virus. It cannot be spread through person-to-person contact and can only be contracted through the bite of an infected mosquito or the bite of an infected monkey. Since most people are not attacked by monkeys while on vacation this article will deal with the mosquito mode of transmission…

Symptoms & Complications
The symptoms of the yellow fever virus include chills, high fever and vomiting. The infection is not only deadly—but tricky, as well. After a brief respite when all symptoms disappear, the infection can reappear and cause potentially deadly problems such as liver and kidney dysfunction. The liver problems bring about a yellowing of the skin called jaundice—and hence the name, yellow fever.

Problem Spots
According to the World Health Organization a yellow fever vaccination is highly recommended if your travel plans include any of the following countries. In several of these countries a certificate from a certified travel clinic is needed before entry will be allowed.

Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Colombia
Kenya
French Guiana
Guyana
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Trinidad & Tobago
Venezuela
And thirty three countries in Africa!
Who Should Never Receive a Vaccination?
The yellow fever vaccine should never be administered to infants under the age of nine months. In many cases the vaccination should be administered after the child is one year old.

Pregnant women are exempt.

Individuals who are allergic to eggs are exempt since the vaccine is prepared in embryonic eggs.

Persons with already weakened immune systems are also exempt. This includes individuals with leukemia or lymphoma, or for people currently going through radiation treatment, including people with HIV/AIDS.

What Are The Risks Associated with the Vaccination?
People who live in New York face bigger threats every time they hop on the subway. Yet as with any vaccine there are some risks associated with receiving it. Side effects are mild and may include soreness and/or swelling where the vaccination was administered and fever or aches and pains. If these problems do occur they should subside within a week.

For those of you who live in the New York area and are planning a trip to Africa and/or Central or South America visiting a certified travel clinic for a yellow fever vaccination should top your list of to-dos. NYC travel clinic is located just two short blocks from Grand Central Station and specializes in this and many other aspects of travel health. Just log onto our NYC yellow fever vaccination or call 1-212-696-5900 to make an appointment today. Have a great trip—but be safe.