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Information for Travelers – Yellow Fever Vaccination
We were really not much aware of Yellow Fever Vaccination till a few months ago. It was an impending trip to Rwanda, one of the Eastern African countries that made us aware about Yellow Fever Vaccination and the WHO recommendations for travelers regarding Yellow Fever Vaccination. We found that Yellow Fever Vaccination is generally associated with two objectives, one is to prevent the international spread of the virus and the other, it is a requirement by specific countries.
What is Yellow Fever?
Yellow Fever is a viral infection that is spread by the bite of a female mosquito Aedes Aegypti which is found in the tropics and subtropics. The symptoms include fever, nausea, appetite loss, chills, and muscle pain. This disease is common in tropical areas of South America and Africa but is not found in Asia.
Prevention of Yellow Fever
There is a very safe Yellow Fever Vaccine available and is recommended for travelers traveling to affected or Yellow Fever Prone areas. It is found that the immunization takes effect after the 10th day of the Yellow Fever Vaccination. This means that you need to have been vaccinated at least 10 days prior to your travel and this indeed is one of the requirements that many countries prescribe too. The Yellow Fever Vaccination is considered very safe as out of an approximate 500 million doses given there are very few documented cases of illness because of the Yellow Fever Vaccination.
What are the Side Effects of Yellow Fever Vaccination
The Yellow Fever vaccination is considered quite safe and there are nil or mild side effects. The mild side effects of the Yellow Fever Vaccination may include fever, headache, muscle pain, rashes, and pain at the vaccination site. Those who are allergic to eggs need to consult their physician before getting the Yellow Fever Vaccination.
Why we took the Yellow Fever Vaccination?
We were traveling to Rwanda, a small country very close to the equator and located in East Africa, from our home country, India. One of the requirements we were informed for traveling to this country was a Yellow Fever Vaccination and a document that confirmed this, also the Yellow Fever Vaccination needed to be taken at least 10 days prior to travel. Though Rwanda is free from Yellow Fever and even CDC an arm of the US Ministry of Health does not actually recommend the Yellow Fever Vaccination for most travelers to Rwanda, it is advisable if one is going to be there for a long period and is also likely to be exposed to mosquitoes. However, as India requires proof of Yellow Fever Vaccination for people arriving from a country which is in the list of Risk of Yellow Fever countries, we took the Yellow Fever Vaccination.
List of Countries associated with Yellow Fever Risk – For travelers to India
Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, and Uganda.
Americas: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad (Trinidad only), and Venezuela.
Note: When a case of yellow fever is reported from any country, that country is regarded by the government of India as a country with risk of YFV transmission and is added to the above list.
For a complete list of requirements and recommendations to travelers from and to different countries do refer to this wealth of information on the CDC website. This link also has comprehensive information on which countries require Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate.
Yellow Fever Vaccination information Travelers should know
After establishing that we needed to get a Yellow Fever Vaccination before embarking on our adventures in Rwanda, we started researching on other aspects of the Yellow Fever Vaccination:
How long is the yellow fever vaccine good for?
The Yellow Fever Vaccine is supposed to provide immunity for a lifetime, however the certificates come with a validity of 10 years from the date of the taking the Yellow Fever Vaccine.
How is the yellow fever vaccine given?
The Yellow Fever Vaccine is given as a single intramuscular or subcutaneous injection and is not painful.
Where to take the Yellow Fever Vaccine in India?
Being located in Bangalore, we searched the internet for places where we could get ourselves vaccinated against Yellow Fever and actually did not get much information. Based on our search we zeroed in on only two options as under:
- Yellow Fever Vaccination at the Public Health Institute that is run by the Govt. Of Karnataka which costs INR 260 as per the information on the Karnataka Government website. It was required for us to take an appointment a couple of days prior to the vaccination. However, there was no response on the telephone number provided on the site. Also the vaccination is apparently given once a week on Wednesdays. We did not have enough time at our disposal as we needed to get vaccinated 10 days prior to travel and our travel date was drawing near. So we could not and did not go for this option.
The address of the center is as below:
Public Health Institute (Opposite: S.J.Polytechnique college), Near Atria Hotel/ K.R Circle, Bangalore-560001, Karnataka state, India. Telephone Number from India: 080-22210248 (very near to Maharani College). Days: Wednesday or next working day, if it is a Government Holiday
- The second option that we found through our internet research was Manipal Hospital, Bangalore, however, a number of phone calls resulted in a dead end as we came to know that they no longer provided the Yellow Fever Vaccination.
- We were left with the third and last option for getting the Yellow Fever Vaccination without which our travel would have to be aborted, also we were barely 12 days away from our travel date. We made a phone call to MM International Health Clinic situated in Domlur and were informed that the Yellow Fever Vaccination was available there and would cost us INR.5,500.
It was quite expensive as compared to what the State Government run institute was charging, but the only option we had was to go for this or cancel our travel. So of course, we went ahead and got the vaccination done. It took a few minutes for the actual vaccination and then we were given the standard WHO yellow booklet signed and sealed by the doctor who vaccinated us. The booklet also had information about the vaccination date and validity. The MM International Health Clinic, Bangalore can be contacted on this telephone number +91 80 33569340. Please note that original passports are required at the time of the vaccination.
Where to Get Yellow Fever Vaccination in Delhi
The International Inoculation Centre run by the New Delhi Municipal Council provides Yellow Fever Vaccination at a nominal cost of INR 300. It is available on Wednesdays and Fridays and one can book an online appointment here. Original passports are required at the time of the vaccination.The address of the centre is as below:
International Innoculation Centre(IIC)
Mandir Marg, Near St. Thomas School,
New Delhi – 110001
Telephone: 011 23362284
Where to Get Yellow Fever Vaccination in Mumbai
The Airport Health Organisation is the place to head to for your Yellow Fever Vaccination in Mumbai. The service is available on all weekdays from 10 AM to 5.30 PM. It is required to carry your original passport at the time of the vaccination along with confirmed ticket/Visa. The address of the centre is as under:
Airport Health Organization,
C.S.I. Airport,
Next to Ambassador Sky Chef,
Sahar, Mumbai – 400099.
We hope this post answers many of the questions that arise in the minds of travelers about Yellow Fever and Yellow Fever Vaccination like:
- How much does it cost to get a Yellow Fever Vaccine?
- What are the side effects of yellow fever vaccine?
- How can you avoid getting yellow fever?
- Which countries require yellow fever vaccination certificate?
- Can you get yellow fever from the vaccine?
- How much does it cost to get travel vaccinations?
- Is there a vaccine for yellow fever?
- Is yellow fever a contagious disease?
- What is the cause of yellow fever?
- Is there a cure for yellow fever?
- What is the relation between WHO and Yellow fever?
- Is there a Country list for Yellow fever prone and risk countries? Country list – Yellow fever vaccination
- What is the Yellow Fever Vaccination validity?
- Are there any Yellow fever vaccine side effects?
- Yellow fever vaccine – how long before travel should it be taken?
If you have any queries or would like to share some more information to travelers about Yellow Fever Vaccination, its requirements and recommendations do share your thoughts with us through the comments section so that this post becomes a rich resource for people looking for this information.
Thanks for visiting our site Voyager – imvoyager.com and taking the time to read our post! We’d love if you’d comment and share this post.
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Its because if such bad conditions of the government hospitals that people have to go for high end private ones….and after all this our government says they will lower down the treatment/vaccination prices….
Hopefully your informative article will reach the authorities and the conditions will get better..
Oh wow, my mind is blown right now. I thought yellow fever was gone for good. I had no idea people could still get it.
This is great information for travelers! It’s good to know that the vaccine has a validity for 10 years. I didn’t realize that was a risk when traveling to Trinidad. Wow!
I hadn’t thought about yellow fever in many years. I know it’s ridiculously simple to find out what shots are needed, knowing other info about them could be helpful.
If I were traveling to an area where yellow fever is a risk, I would get the vaccine. Thanks for all of the useful information about this!
It’s always safer to just go with vaccine for yellow fever. Prevention is always much better than cure. It’s also good that you made us more aware about yellow fever and the areas its prevalent.
If I have to travel to any of these countries I will definitely keep this in mind. I know that you do need different vaccines when you travel that other parts of the world. Sometimes you just don’t know what you need before you go this list helps!
Oh gosh this sounds like a must take inject for those heading to an area yellow fever is rife in. I have to admit I don’t travel very often and always forget about what jabs I should get.
Extremely important information for travelers. Always check out the country you plan on visiting. Don’t want to mess with yellow fever.
I would certainly get the shot if I were going to an area where I could catch this. It sounds scary. This is such an important read.
This is going to save travelers some serious trouble. I’m glad there are plenty of vaccination locations because those symptoms sound awful!
This information is so important for travelers! It’s something I would totally forget about looking into this! Prevention is always better than having it!
Dengue Fever is also caused by mosquito Aedis aegypty. It could be fatal especially with the complications such as bleeding. It’s good that you have the yellow fever vaccine. Prevention is the key.
This is such important information! It’s crucial to know what’s what before traveling especially – doing your research is #1 for your health! Great post!
Thanks for the tips and advices! Now i have to keep it in mind before a travel!
Being exposed to contaminants and other types of viruses is one of the scariest parts about traveling. Thank you for sharing some practical information about this. Traveling is fun but protecting your health should not be neglected in the process.
It is wise to have our immunizations up to date if we are frequent travelers. Getting vaccinated not only for Yellow Fever but also for other endemic diseases is the best way to have a worry free vacation overseas.
Thank you for letting me know about these places where we are at risk of contracting Yellow Fever. I think this should be part of planning when we are traveling overseas.
We always make sure our immunizations are up to date before we head out of the country! This is some good information!
I love to travel but do worry about illnesses. It can be pretty scary. Its important to keep people educated.
Vaccinations are such an important part of travel. I had to take malaria medication when I went to South Africa and got a shot, but I don’t remember if it was yellow fever.
I got my yellow fever vaccination for going to South America, I’d never heard of it before that either It is always important to check which vaccinations are required before travel – and in plenty of advance too!
A really informative and comprehensive post. I must try and dig out my vaccine certifcation booklet and check my yellow fever is still valid.
This is good information for travelers, especially the list of countries that you need the yellow fever needle for. Sometimes, it is hard to get this type of information before you travel, unless you go to the doctors and then they look it up. You just reminded me to check when I had my last lot of travel needs.
I don’t believe I’ve ever been anywhere that requires it yet, but this is definitely good information to have.
I love posts like this that are important and so informative. Sometimes we forget that traveling requires more than just packing our bags. Being prepared with vaccinations are so important and I will now know that yellow fever vaccination is required if I ever visit this area 🙂
This is very useful. Particularly all the info around where and how to get the vaccination and the list of countries where when headed we need to take this vaccination. Haven’t been vaccinated yet for yellow fever, but I would come back to this post in future when traveling to any such country where it’s required.
This is actually a super helpful list for those who are going to these countries. I love how you included the destinations that people are more at-risk, as well as where to go to get the shots. I haven’t needed to get this vaccine yet, but I’m sure I will in the future!
Great informative post. I have had yellow fever jab but I must admit I didn;t really know what Yellow Fever even was until reading this! I had mine more than 10 years ago but when I went for a top up I was told they changed the rules and you only need it once now. Also, Honduras makes you have it. My friend got turned away for entering from Guatemala and she had to get it and wait 10 days before re-entering.
Great advice! Very informative! #feetdotravel
My goodness, I didn’t know anything about yellow fever. Interesting since it is passed by the same mosquito who causes dengue fever. I have been to many of the countries in South America you mentioned and to Guatemala and Honduras (previous commenter mentioned them) them without a vaccine. I really need to take this into considerations for upcoming trips. #feetdotravel
You did the right thing taking the vaccine in stead of risking it! I would’ve done the same!
Thanks for the great information. Since I am from the United States, I (and my primary doctor) usually just follow the recommendations from the CDC. It’s surprising to me that the CDC doesn’t recommend getting this vaccine, despite the fact that you would be relatively close to countries that had to deal with Yellow Fever. It’s definitely something I’ll keep in mind if I ever want to travel to those countries, and I’ll have to start doing a little more research when it comes to getting vaccines prior to traveling instead of justing relying on the CDC.
Some of the travel vaccinations take a long time to be effective and / or multiple vaccinations. Make sure you plan well in advance before getting your shots. A lot of places want to run a test to see if you have already been immunized which will add time to the process too. Plan ahead and don’t rush it.
Very thorough article with a lot of great information. Undoubtedly extremely helpful for travelers seeking information on the Yellow Fever vaccination, especially for those in India. We had to get a Yellow Fever vaccination as we had made travel plans to do an overland safari in Southern Africa and some of the countries required the vaccination. Being in the US, the vaccination was expensive and required more than one visit to the clinic. We were fortunate that we were headed to Panama City prior to going to Africa. We showed up at a local clinic there and for around $5 got the shot and was out within 10 minutes, we couldn’t believe it!
It can be easy to overlook the health risks that come with travelling, but it’s so important to get the proper vaccinations. Thanks for the reminder to be vigilant.
A lot of great information in this post. I haven’t travelled anywhere that’s required a Yellow Fever Vaccine, but when I do I’ll be sure to get one. Not getting a necessary vaccine and then getting sick (or worse) is not something I want go through when I’m trying to enjoy my travels.
Really useful post – as you said, it is not even just about avoiding the disease but also ensuring that you are free to travel around, given that so many countries demand a certificate as a pre-requisite of entry. We got ours a few years ago before travelling to Tanzania which demands it. Like you, we also found it was not easily available through a GP. As we live in Switzerland we had to go to the tropical institute to get it. Great advice to get organised well in advance to ensure travellers meet the 10-day immunity rule and can research where to go to get it. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for reminding us that before traveling to a different country, we need to research about what vaccinations we need to get. Hope we can eradicate all preventable diseases one day.
I had no idea Yellow Fever was in so many places still! Vaccines are honestly one of the reasons why I don’t want to go some places, fear of needles! However, it is incredibly important to get these shots to take care of yourself and the people you are around when you come home. This is really useful information.
I think my yellow fever vaccine has just run out and I might need to update it. This is a nice timely reminder
This is great information! We’re always on the look out for what vaccines we might need when traveling, and I definitely gave your list of countries a long, hard look, considering we’re headed to the tropics in just a few weeks. Happily, we’re not on the list, but thank you for sharing!
I had to get the yellow fever vaccine to travel from the USA to Tanzania. I was shocked at how expensive it was. It cost over $300 here in the states!
I think it’s important that we educate ourselves when we prepare for travel. Thanks for providing all of this great information about Yellow Fever and how to get vaccinated.
This was helpful post for people who live in India or will visit India after having visited a country at risk of Yellow Fever. Although I’m not sure I’d want to get the shot as there’s always a risk of getting the virus.
This is great information, and everybody needs to stay on top of the vaccines they need for different regions of the world – when we visited Africa (and required the yellow fever vaccine) those who didn’t have it were taken off into a room to have it done at the airport – and personally I would rather have it done in my doctors office at home where I know the standard of hygiene is controlled! Surprisingly, a traveler with me at the time couldn’t have the vaccine because he was allergic to egg, and that excuse got him a pass through.
This is such great information. It’s one of those vaccinations you don’t often think about, but need to when travelling to many parts of the world. My pharmacist even recommended I take proof of my Yellow Fever Vaccine with me when travelling into a country that does not have Yellow Fever from a country that does.
Not the aspect of traveling that any of us like to think about, but definitely one that we need to know. Extremely informative!
Your article is so detailed and useful. I didn’t know the importance of such vaccination before. I will definitely pay more attention now.
I am sharing this post as well because this is a very important read. If I am going to Africa one day I will definitely get the shot.
Now that we are turning our sights on Asia, South America, and Africa, this is a timely reminder. Thanks!
This is a very informative post and great for travelers heading to the areas with Yellow Fever. Sorry to hear you had such a hard time locating a place to get the vaccine. I think I got the vaccine in my early twenties, but I’ve misplaced my documents. I’ll have to find those if I plan to go to one of those countries.
This is very informational and thorough! Thanks for the tips. We’ll be starting a year of travel soon through some Asian and European countries, and a couple stops in Africa. We were wondering if we needed the Yellow Fever vaccine since we already got a few others before leaving. From what I’ve read here and before, seems we don’t need it. However, we might end up deciding to go to one of the countries in Africa where it’s best to get it while we’re overseas, so this was definitely helpful to read. Especially since India is one of our last stops in Asia before Africa.
This is a great article about a vaccination not many people actually know about. I had to get the Yellow Fever vaccination for travelling to Kenya and after getting it I wasn’t myself for a few days. Such a horrible disease, so thanks for sharing.
Great info for Africa & Americas travel. As much as I desperately dislike injections, I think I’d dislike Yellow Fever even more! Thanks for the details.
Great information for anyone traveling to or from a Yellow Fever risk country! I’m sure there are a lot of people who will benefit from this post!
If I remember well I got my yellow fever vaccination to go to Mali, many moons ago. Now that I read your post I realize that I need to check my certificate’s validity for my trip to Uganda!
It’s so important to get vaccinated before traveling to certain areas. However, a lot of people don’t do any research before they travel so it’s easy for them to miss an important travel advisory or vaccination announcement. I had no idea that yellow fever was even still a threat. Fantastic information – very useful for those who travel both frequently and infrequently.
Great insightful post about Yellow Fever and vaccination in general. I used to not pay attention when it comes to vaccinations when I travel. Ironically, I’m in healthcare so I should be advocating for vaccinations especially when traveling to certain places like Rwanda. I definitely need this when I go to Africa someday.
I am yet to visit any country where taking yellow fever vaccination is necessary, so honestly, until now I was totally ignorant about all this! Thanks for giving out all the details so perfectly. I know where to look up when I need to do this 🙂
Good info about yellow fever! I’ve never taken the vaccination as I’ve never been required but I know many countries require it. Also, I can’t believe it’s not painful– I hate needles lol.
This is a very informative article for travelers about the yellow fever vaccine! Taking it is a good precaution for having sickness that would cause more damage both in health and finances when accidentally incurred. The list of countries that are associated with yellow fever risk is very useful, too!
Very detailed and informative post! I’ve never been outside of Europe so I never had to think about it. That also means I actually didn’t know much about it so it was interesting to get myself educated a bit on the matter 🙂
Oh wow! This is so very important to know, thanks for sharing. I’d hate to get so sick, especially while traveling!
This is extremely important and useful information. Especially since I am in Bangalore. Glad you shared all your research with us – making it easier to plan and get your vaccination in place before you travel. 5.5K is steep but well, that was what needed to be done 🙁
We were going to travel but this vaccine is out of stock in California ! They told us we have to wait 4 months, so we had to cancel our trip ! don’t want to take any risks ! 😮 Thanks for sharing !