Yellow Fever Vaccination

[snowpixel]

I'm cruising to South America and wondering if YF vaccination is required. I have checked the Center for Disease Control Center online and don't see that a requirement for SA countries is req'd if one isn't going into the interior (jungle canopy). I read there can be side effects for persons >60 yrs. Does anyone have any information? Thanks for any info.

[Essiesmom]

It may not be required for you to enter countries in SA, but once you have visited them Brazil in particular, some other countries may not allow you to visit. I believe ships that call at Devil's Island after Brazil may require you to have the vaccine. EM

[SurferDoc]

I'm cruising to South America and wondering if YF vaccination is required. I have checked the Center for Disease Control Center online and don't see that a requirement for SA countries is req'd if one isn't going into the interior (jungle canopy). I read there can be side effects for persons >60 yrs. Does anyone have any information? Thanks for any info.

Assuming that a yellow fever vaccination is not required for any of your destinations in South America, it sounds as if you should be fine.

 

Nonetheless, it's advisable to continue to check the website maintained by the CDC (or other International Health Regulations) to remain properly informed about all of the latest recommendations and bulletins with respect to travel vaccinations.

 

For your convenience, here is the link to the CDC:

 

http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/regions/list.aspx

 

By the way, it's important to consult with your own health care provider concerning any contraindications associated with vaccinations. Reason: your own physician should be able to provide you with professional advice - based on a comprehensive risk assessment, including your current (and past) medical history - and whether you're "at risk" for certain diseases (e.g., yellow fever) when you travel to other destinations.

 

Until later, take care! :-)

[Betsy's Mom]

If you are on a cruise going to Brazil you must have the shots to get on the ship even if you do not plan to leave the ship in Brazil. Check with your cruiseline and also the Brazilian folks. We can not take any cruise to South America as health prevents us from having these shots. :(

B.

[Harry1954]

We had booked a cruise up the Amazon. Then we were told that we should (not must) get yellow fever shots. I had had my last yellow fever shot when I got orders overseas in the Army many years ago. My wife had never had one and, being allergic to egg products, was unable to get the shot. The folks meting out the advice on the shots said she should cover herself from head to foot while on the Amazon, also use an insect repellent, and consider staying in the cabin the whole time. Consequently, we canceled the trip and have not considered it again. From what they said to us, Brazil is the only country requiring such shots .. and they also require a visa that made me think of when we went to China.

harry

[sail7seas]

KK has posted several times on this board that because her DH is unable to have the YF shot (again).... they had it in the past but it has expired, the cannot go to Brazil. Whether that is Brazil's law or HAL's I don't know.

 

Others have said there is such a thing as a medical waiver that excuses you from having the vaccination but I would wonder how safe the traveler is. If the shot is required (or this waiver) is it because Brazil fears visitors will bring the disease into their country or because it exists there.

 

I wouldn't take the risk of visiting there without proper immunization but that is just me.

 

[lettienets]

In 2007 and again in 2008 I was on HAL Rotterdam that went to Rio and other stops like Recife and Salvador and I did not have to have a yellow fever shot. If I was going to the jungle I would get one.

Needed a visa.

[groinky]

In 2007 and again in 2008 I was on HAL Rotterdam that went to Rio and other stops like Recife and Salvador and I did not have to have a yellow fever shot. If I was going to the jungle I would get one.

Needed a visa.

 

Agree with lettienets.

 

Last February and March I did a 46 night cruise around the Horn of South America and did NOT need a yellow fever shot. Only thing needed was a visa for Brazil. I agree with this poster that I would get one if I was going to the jungle.

[catl331]

This has always been a debatable question on the HAL boards. On one cruise itinerary one would not be able to get off in Nicaragua without a yellow fever shot as one had been in Colombia. Now the Colombia port had been nowhere near a jungle. But Nicaragua considered the country endemic for yellow fever. We took another Panama Canal cruise that did not include Nic. because we are the age where one does not get that shot. I did read somewhere else that you could get a waiver for the shot if your were that old. I wish someone would come up with a offical world rule on this but I guess it differs from country to country.:confused: None of this has to do with HAL.

[lettienets]

............... We took another Panama Canal cruise that did not include Nic. because we are the age where one does not get that shot. ............

What age is considered inadvisable to get the yellow fever shot?

[lancelady]

Yellow Fever - If your on a cruise of So. Amer. which takes you to Brazil

and you'll be ex. Rio, Salvador, anything along the coast you do not need

the YF shot. You will be able to board the ship it is not required. Can

also check with your cruise line. Also read SurferDoc #3 posted yesterday at 11:51 p.m. Go to the website under "Tropical South America" it will give you all the info. you need. Thanks SurferDoc for posting the website.

[cruz chic]

I was required to have a yellow fever shot for my cruise to the Panama Canal in 2006 (visited Nicaragua) and also for my South America cruise in 2008. The only places I visited in S.America were Peru, Columbia and Ecuador. Both times HAL informed me I needed to have the shot and also to show proof of it.

[prescottbob]

Ahoy

 

On the Nov. '08 Prinsendam Amazon cruise we were req'd to show proof of YF vaccination / pre-arranged medical waiver or one could not board the ship at embarkation. I believe it has something to do with visiting other YF areas prior to entering Brazil. In our case we stopped in Columbia prior to enetering the Amazon.

 

Here's a link that may be useful:

 

http://www.braziltravelinformation.com/brazil_travelfacts_immunization.htm

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

 

Bon Voyage & Good Health!

Bob:)

[Krazy Kruizers]

In 2006 we booked the PanAmerican cruise for 2007. At the time we booked it we were not required to have yellow fever shots.

Then right at final payment time our TA got a call from HAL reminding everyone to bring along their yellow innoculation cards as everyone -- including crew were required to have yellow fever shots. It seems that Nicaragua -- have been there many times -- was requiring this as we were coming from Ecuador -- which they assumed we would all be going into the jungle. HAL battled this back and forth with the authorities --even made certain that all crew members who hadn't had the shot got one -- about 200 of them. We didn;t learn until we were on the ship that Nicaragua finally dropped the requirement as it was made clear to them that no one was going to go into the jungles.

Now our yellow fever shots were due to expire in January of 2008 and the cruise was in November 2007 -- we not only took along our cards but we also got letters from our doctor indicating that we can no longer get the yellow fever shots. We were taking no chances.

At one time we also signed up for the Amazon cruise -- and we were told that we could use those letters but we were strongly advised to dress with long slacks, sleeves, etc. Since there were several ports invloved we just couldn't see ourselves dressed like that in hot weather so we cancelled.

[paint]

If you are sailing on the Veendam from San Diego to Santiago you will require YF shots. Peru demands that anyone coming from Ecuador be vaccinated for yellow fever. Got ours updated last week.

[catl331]

I think the age was 62 or 64 yrs old. They don't give the shot to anyone over that age. Why? Quien sabe?

[Krazy Kruizers]

The older you are -- there is a greater risk you will have a reaction to the shot -- we were quoted something like 60% for people over 65.

And if you have had heart problems -- no matter the age -- doctors do not recommend that you get the shot.

[Juanita462]

The last time we cruised the Panama Canal we were told that we had to have yellow fever shots - ours had expired so we went to the local travel clinic and the doctor there told us that in Canada they won't vaccinate

anyone over 65 for yellow fever unless they have already had the shots

before. She said that she had the vaccination herself so that she could still get one after 65 when travelling.

 

Dh got the shot but, because I am allergic to the preservative, she gave me a letter of exemption which HAL said they would accept.

 

when we got to the pier they wouldn't even look at the record of vaccinations - everyone was pretty disgusted as the shots are not cheap and they weren't needed after all but no-one was informed about this.

 

It seems that research indicates that the immunity from a yellow fever shot is something like 35 years or life but WHO are the ones that require it done every 10 years.

[jcrandle]

Regarding immunization requirements, the first point of contact should be the cruise line. They are the ones that will check your documentation including visas and immunizations and if all is not well, will deny boarding. So if you are on a HAL cruise, you need to ensure that HAL is satisfied with your docs. Secondly, each country you visit has specific requirements for entry. It is easy to say that HAL should be familiar with these requirements and verify your compliance before boarding, but I like to check them out myself.

 

The aforementioned yellow fever vaccination requirements are so convoluted as to require a degree in international law to decipher. In my review of the requirements for our Amazon Explorer in 2008, we were required to have the vaccination or a waiver from a physician stating that it was medically inadvisable for us to have the immunization. Since we had no contraindications, the path of least resistance was to have the shot, which we did. The ship's physician later told us that Brazil would accept waivers for passengers whose doctors felt that the vaccination was inadvisable.

 

The only problem I was aware of was that of an international couple who one partner did not need a visa, and the other one did, due to different citizenship. The hangup was that the one that required the visa had gotten it too far in advance, as the visas have a 90 day window for first entry. HAL caught that, and denied boarding to the husband who was a US citizen. They went to Miami from FLL and camped out at the Brazilian embassy pleading their case. They were able to get a second visa in only a day or so (The Brazilian Embassy typically had a one week backlog) and rejoined the cruise at a Caribbean port.

 

The moral of this story is that when dealing with foreign governments, travel providers (such as HAL) that you need to be paranoid about reading the fine print, or be sure you have an experienced TA that will follow through on them. Secondly, I would be sure that I document everything to the TA in writing just in case, so if something falls through the cracks, I am not financially liable. It's sad enough when you are not allowed to go on the vacation of your lifetime, but even sadder if you have no recourse to get your money back!

[serendipity1499]

This has always been a debatable question on the HAL boards. On one cruise itinerary one would not be able to get off in Nicaragua without a yellow fever shot as one had been in Colombia. Now the Colombia port had been nowhere near a jungle. But Nicaragua considered the country endemic for yellow fever. We took another Panama Canal cruise that did not include Nic. because we are the age where one does not get that shot. I did read somewhere else that you could get a waiver for the shot if your were that old. I wish someone would come up with a offical world rule on this but I guess it differs from country to country.:confused: None of this has to do with HAL.

 

I think the age was 62 or 64 yrs old. They don't give the shot to anyone over that age. Why? Quien sabe?

 

I bold-ed your statements..

No one can come up with a world rule as Yellow fever cannot be controlled..It comes from infected mosquitoes & they move around..Each country has their own rules..

 

Don't know where you came up with your age information but it is incorrect for U.S. residents..Age has nothing to do with Waivers.. Only if you have a Medical Condition which does not allow for a yellow fever shot (Dr. must Verify) can you board with a waiver..Since we were traveling in an endemic area we had to get our shots..We got them at our County Health Dept. (expensive) & they never asked us if we ever had them before..There were 4 of us & I was the only one who had previously had it.We all are well over the Age of 65..

In 2006 we went to the Amazon (Prinsendam) with stops in the Caribbean as well as Devils Island, & had to have a Yellow Fever Shot which we got from our Local Health Dept. in Florida..We are well over the Age of 65..

 

In 2003 we were on HAL from Rio, (Brazil) To Santiago, (Chile) with ports in Argentina, Uruguay, & the Falklands & did not require a Yellow fever shot since we did not make port in an endemic area..

 

You must check each countries rules to see if you need a yellow fever shot..If you look at this WEB site it will give you a map of South America & will show the endimic areas..Check all the coutries you are entering to see if they require a Yellow fever shot if you have entered another endimic area..

http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2010/chapter-2/yellow-fever.aspx

 

If I had a medical condition which precluded my getting a Yellow fever vacination, I would never take the chance going into an endimic area with a waiver..

This is from the CDC's Official WEB site:

Quote During 1970–2002, a total of nine cases of yellow fever were reported in unvaccinated travelers from the United States and Europe who traveled to West Africa (five cases) or South America (four cases). Eight of these nine travelers died. UnQuote

Betty

[snowpixel]

Thank you for all your comments. I have emailed HAL (and will follow-up with a phone call) for a definitive answer as to requirements re YF and will post when I have further info.

[serendipity1499]

Here is another CDC WEB site about who should & should not have Yellow fever..

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/should-not-vacc.htm#yf

 

This is a quote from that page:

Quote

If you are 65 or older, discuss with your physician the risks and benefits of vaccination in the context of your risk for exposure to yellow fever virus based on your destination.

If you cannot get the vaccine because of a medical reason and proof of yellow fever vaccination is required for your travel, your doctor can give you a waiver letter. When planning to use a waiver letter, you should also obtain specific advice from the embassy of the country or countries you plan to visit.UNQuote

Betty

[prescottbob]

From the Brazil travel requirements site:

 

http://www.braziltravelinformation.c...munization.htm

 

"International Yellow Fever vaccination certificate:

Applicants who have visited any of the countries listed below within the previous 90 days prior to entry in Brazil, are required to present a valid International Yellow Fever vaccination certificate: Peru, Bolivia, Colombia (e.g. Santa Marta), Ecuador, French Guyana (e.g Devil's Island), Venezuela, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guine, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan."

[Harry1954]

[/b]

Quote During 1970–2002, a total of nine cases of yellow fever were reported in unvaccinated travelers from the United States and Europe who traveled to West Africa (five cases) or South America (four cases). Eight of these nine travelers died. UnQuote

Betty

The very reason we canceled our trip to Amazon since DW could not take YF shot due to egg allergy.

harry

[wander]

ZE=3]Quote During 1970–2002, a total of nine cases of yellow fever were reported in unvaccinated travelers from the United States and Europe who traveled to West Africa (five cases) or South America (four cases). Eight of these nine travelers died. UnQuote[/size]

Betty

 

And just how many unvaccinated travelers from the US and Europe traveled to West Africa and South America during the years 1970 - 2002 who did NOT get Yellow Fever? I know that more unvaccinated folks in the US and Europe died from the good old Flu from 1970 - 2002 than the 9 from Yellow Fever. However, I do not know what the percentages of risk are for these two events (unvaccinated dead) is for both events, and have no time to research it at this time.)