Why Do You Need a Yellow Fever Vaccine Before Travelling Abroad?

Yellow fever symptoms often manifest between three to six days after infection.

They include the following:

• A high temperature
• Feeling sick or vomiting
• A headache
• Backache and muscle pain
• Your eyes getting sensitive to light
• Feeling generally unwell and loss of appetite
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes)
• Bleeding from the nose, eyes, mouth, or ears
• Blood in faeces or vomiting blood

Consult a pharmacist or doctor immediately if you develop yellow fever symptoms while travelling in a region where the infection is widespread.

If you develop symptoms following a recent visit to one of these places, seek help from a GP or pharmacist as soon as possible.

Inform them of your precise travel itinerary, if you believe you were bitten by a mosquito, and any symptoms you are experiencing.

Yellow fever vaccination is recommended for individuals aged 9 months and older travelling to the following areas:

• A region endemic to yellow fever, comprising parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Central America, and Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean.
• A country that needs proof of yellow fever vaccination.

You should be immunised at least ten days prior to departure to allow the vaccination to take effect.

If you already received the MMR vaccine, you or your child must wait at least four weeks before receiving the yellow fever vaccine.

If a 4-week gap cannot be maintained, the yellow fever vaccine should be administered but an extra dose of MMR should be considered afterwards. Individuals at continued risk of yellow fever may potentially be considered for re-vaccination.

For the majority of people, the yellow fever vaccine offers lifetime protection.

A booster dose of vaccination is advised for a small number of visitors visiting high-risk areas for yellow fever, including people who were previously vaccinated:

• 
  When they were pregnant
• While living with HIV
• When they were below the age of 2
• While they had a weakened immune system
• Before having a bone marrow transplant

Occasionally, a second dose of vaccination may be recommended if there is worry about the traveller’s chance of contracting yellow fever, for instance, if they are working or residing in a high-risk location for an extended period of time.

If you’re unsure whether you require another dose prior to travelling, contact us for help.

Certain individuals are ineligible to receive the yellow fever vaccine when it is recommended.

Those who cannot receive the vaccine include the following:

• Infants under the age of six months.
• Those with a compromised immune system, like those diagnosed with lymphoma or leukaemia.
• Individuals whose immune systems have been impaired as a result of treatment with steroids or chemotherapy.
• People who have an allergy to any of the vaccine’s ingredients, particularly those who are allergic to eggs.
• Individuals who have experienced a bad reaction to a yellow fever vaccine before.
• Individuals who have a disease of the thymus gland or who have had their thymus gland cut out.
• Travellers over the age of 60 visiting places where yellow fever vaccination is not routinely recommended.
• People who have a close family member who has suffered a severe reaction to the vaccination, resulting in brain or other organ damage.

If you require a vaccination certification for the country to which you are travelling but are unable to obtain the vaccine, please contact us for help and more information.

Although the yellow fever vaccine may produce some adverse effects, the danger of infection from not being vaccinated typically outweighs the risk of side effects.

Following vaccination, up to 1 for every 3 people develops:

• A headache
• A raised temperature
• Muscle pain
• Soreness at the injection site

These adverse effects typically subside within two weeks.

Rarely, a person may experience more severe side effects, such as an allergic response to one of the vaccine’s ingredients.

The vaccine is only available in yellow fever vaccination centres that are registered, such as ours.

The jab is not covered by the NHS, therefore you will need to pay for it. For the majority of travellers, the vaccine gives lifetime protection, and hence there is no need for a booster dose.

Contact us today to find out the price and book your appointment for the yellow fever vaccine.