Yellow fever shot - is it risky to get if you are over 60?

[Covepointcruiser]

We were on a cruise to the Amazon maybe ten years ago.   Yellow Fever was recommended along with Typhoid and malaria prevention.   The only one that had an impact was the malaria as we had to take the tablets each day n the cruise.   I didn’t care for the taste.   The worse reaction we had to a vaccine was the new shingles shot and you had to take it in two doses.

[sammiedawg]

6 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

So when you went on this Amazon cruise five years ago, the cruise line didn't require you to have the vaccine or  waiver before boarding? I'm assuming that is not the case now.

 

No one asked or cared at Oceania, airport, cruise terminal, ports of call.  

I have no idea what the situation is now.  

I had no regrets or problems with the YF innoculation other than it was expensive   We took the shot as we had future exotic travel planned.   Since then we learned TPTB decided one dose a lifetime is adequate.  

 

A big myth is a need to take malaria meds for an amazon cruise. We only met a couple people taking these.  Travel clinics show broad malaria maps that are not specific to tourist areas.  Tourists do not get anywhere close to malaria areas. 

[Ken the cruiser]

2 minutes ago, sammiedawg said:

 

No one asked or cared at Oceania, airport, cruise terminal, ports of call.  

I have no idea what the situation is now.  

I had no regrets or problems with the YF innoculation other than it was expensive   We took the shot as we had future exotic travel planned.   Since then we learned TPTB decided one dose a lifetime is adequate.  

 

A big myth is a need to take malaria meds for an amazon cruise. We only met a couple people taking these.  Travel clinics show broad malaria maps that are not specific to tourist areas.  Tourists do not get anywhere close to malaria areas. 

Thanks sammiedawg. We still plan on discussing the YF shot with our doctor regarding future cruise scenarios and will go with her recommendation. But have no desire to take the malaria preventative medicine. If it becomes a requirement, we simply won't cruise to that area.

 

Luckily when my DW got her YF shot 18 years ago, the military was electronically keeping track of her shots then. Unfortunately, when I got mine 30+ years ago, all they did was record it on my paper shot record which is long gone.