GOV.VC
On Tuesday, 19th July, Minister of Health, Wellness and the Environment, Hon. Luke Browne, spoke to the issue of the Yellow Fever outbreak in two African countries and two South American countries.
The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, therefore, uses this opportunity to provide additional information in this regard.
A traveler’s risk of acquiring Yellow Fever is determined by various factors, including their immunization status, destination of travel, season of the year at the destination, duration of exposure, occupational and recreational activities while traveling, and the local rate of virus transmission at the time of travel.
Yellow Fever vaccination is recommended for all travelers ≥ 9 months and older to destinations where there is evidence of persistent or periodic Yellow Fever virus transmission. The vaccination should be taken 10 to 14 days prior to departure.
Persons traveling to the following countries are, therefore, required to have proof of yellow fever vaccination on arrival in the named countries:
| Angola | Guinea | Argentina |
| Benin | Guinea-Bissau | Bolivia |
| Burkina Faso | Kenya | Brazil |
| Burundi | Liberia | Colombia |
| Cameroon | Mali | Ecuador |
| Central African Republic | Mauritania | French Guiana |
| Chad | Niger | Guyana |
| Congo, Republic of the Côte d’Ivoire | Nigeria | Panama |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Senegal | Paraguay |
| Equatorial Guinea | Sierra Leone | Peru |
| Ethiopia | South Sudan | Suriname |
| Gabon | Sudan | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Gambia | Togo | Venezuela |
| Ghana | Uganda |
Yellow Fever vaccination is generally not recommended for travel to areas where there is low potential for exposure, i.e., where no human Yellow Fever cases have ever been reported and where there is evidence to support only low levels of Yellow Fever transmission in the past. Yellow Fever vaccination certificates are recommended for travelers over 1 year of age traveling to SVG from countries where there is evidence of persistent or periodic Yellow Fever virus transmission.
Please note that the risk of transmission is almost non-existent if travelers are only in-transit through an endemic country for less than 12 hours.
Yellow Fever vaccines will, therefore, be administered at the Kingstown District Clinic only to:
- Persons traveling to countries where there is evidence of persistent or periodic Yellow Fever virus transmission.
- Vincentian sailors who are required to hold Yellow Fever vaccination certificates.
It is to be noted that the World Health Organisation does not recommend routine Yellow Fever vaccination.
The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, in order to ensure that all Vincentians who require Yellow Fever vaccination receive it will, therefore, not administer vaccination to anyone who does not meet the stated requirements for vaccination.
Yellow fever vaccinations will continue to be administered at the Kingstown District Clinic, except in special situations where a group of travelers may be vaccinated at another location.
Please note that the yellow fever vaccination vials are multidose vials and each one will only be opened if there are 10 persons who meet the requirements for vaccination. No vial will be opened to accommodate less than 10 persons.
SOURCE: Ministry Of Health, Wellness And The Environment