Yellow fever and CDC recommendations
We are on the trip to Zambia,Botswana and SA 7/1/17; We both have some medical knowledge and yet struggling with the decision for YF vaccination.The catch is Zambia is listed in the countries with low risk of YF transmission and therefore WHO does not recommend vaccination unless the country that you are entering requires proof of vaccination from all those who enter the country.Can someone tell me if Botswana is such a country?What do most travelers from US do?Thanks
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I heard the vaccine is in short supply recently, so if you decide to get it, it might not be so easy to find.
I hope you enjoyed your trip! My husband and I will be on the 9/30 tour. Did you end up getting the YF vaccine? Either way, were you asked to show proof at any point during the trip?
Thanks!
Due to the nationwide YF-vax shortage, the FDA has approved the Stamaril under this Expanded Access Program as the YF-vax will not be available until mid-2018. Stamaril is the only yellow fever vaccine available in the US. Sanofi Pasteur is the manufacturer of both the YF-vax and Stamaril and the benefits and risks of both vaccines are expected to be similar. This vaccine will be recorded in the International Certificate of Vaccination that we provide and will fulfill entry requirements.
We had a lovely chat about Yellow Fever vaccinations being good for your entire life (except in Ethiopia and Uganda). Stamaril is not FDA approved but it is used widely outside the U.S.
http://www.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/immunization/immunization-program-sections/locate-field-staff/index.html
Or you could simply call Tallahassee 1-877-888-7468 for suggestions about who has it
CDC listed these locations as having Stamaril:
Florida
Passport Health
7700 Congress Ave, Suite 1102
Boca Raton, FL 33487
Phone: 561-361-7484
Lee County Health Department
3920 Michigan Ave
Fort Myers, FL 33916
Phone: 239-461-6100
Carespot Express Health Care
720 Sw 2nd Ave, Suite 160a
Gainesville, FL 32601
Phone: 352-240-8000
Travel Clinic Jacksonville
3627 University Blvd S , Suite 300
Jacksonville, FL 32216
Phone: 904-722-8747
Passport Health
1380 Miami Gardens Dr, Suite 142
Miami, FL 33487
Phone: 877-358-8648
Passport Health
782 NW 42 Ave, Suite 629
Miami, FL 32789
Phone: 877-358-8648
Airport Medical Clinic
3588 NW 72nd Ave
Miami, FL 33122
Phone: 305-592-5205
Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County
1350 NW 14th Street
Miami, FlL 33125
Phone: 786-845-0550
Passport Health
5401 S Kirkman Rd, Suite 310
Orlando, FL 32819
Phone: 407-902-9783
Passport Health of Sarasota
2195 Ringling Blvd
Sarasota, FL 97919
Phone: 941-362-0304
Tallahassee Primary Care Associates
1803 Miccosukee Commons Dr.
Tallahassee, FL 32308
Phone: 850-201-9194
Passport Health of Tampa Bay
4290 W Linebaugh Ave, Suite B
Tampa, FL 33624
Phone: 813-969-3757
Passport Health
611 N Wymore Rd, Suite 210
Winter Park, FL 32789
Phone: 407-902-9783
The government of Zambia requires proof of yellow fever vaccination upon arrival if you are traveling from a country with risk of yellow fever (this does not include the US -
There is no risk of yellow fever in Zimbabwe. The government of Zimbabwe requires proof of yellow fever vaccination only if you are arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever. This does not include the US.
There is no risk of yellow fever in Botswana. The government of Botswana requires proof of yellow fever vaccination only if you are arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever. This does not include the US.
There is no risk of yellow fever in South Africa. The government of South Africa requires proof of yellow fever vaccination only if you are arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever. This does not include the US.
What I am finding out is that it is recommended that we have hepatitis A and B and typhoid and of course to take malaria pills...but i am not seeing that yellow fever vaccine is recommended or required if you are traveling from the united states...especially over the age of 60.
Am I way out in left field here? I have lots of time to plan and implement what we need to do.
This topic has been beaten to death, many times : )
All I can say, is you pays your price and takes your chance.
Can you be absolutely certain, that in the months, weeks, or days before you go that:
1. There won't be a yellow fever outbreak of some size, somewhere in one of these countries
2. That the migration official where you cross the border has seen the latest bulletin from the US CDC (it wouldn't matter if he did) or even his own gov't
3. That the migration official will follow the established policy for his country or that the policy didn't change.
4. That you won't get yellow from a hitchhiking skeeter because all the bulletins say there is no "risk."
5. That your airplane won't need to make an unnecessary stop in a country where there is a risk (a stretch I know, but still)
6. That Tauck will refund your trip money and airfare if you are denied entry into one of the countries on the tour.
7. Etc.
We were 66 & 64 and got the yellow fever shots, and never looked back. If you are concerned about side effects from the shot- everyone has different medical histories- instead of reading about it, go see a travel doc and find out for sure. But if the doc gives you a choice, get the shot and be done with it (assuming you can find some place with the vaccine).
What you are failing to understand is that you will not be entering Botswana, which is the most strict, from the US, you will be entering Botswana from Zambia! On our tour, just over a year ago, when we crossed the river from Zambia into Botswana, we were all asked to produce our proof of vaccination, everyone had had the vaccine so I do not know what would have happened if you did not have proof. Put a search on Yellow fever vaccine in the forum and you will find pages and pages of facts and opinions. It's your choice. If you are asked for your paperwork at the border, please let us know here what happens so we have more facts for people to read. This is a great trip, one of my favorites. We have been to quite a few countries now where it is recommended one have yellow fever vaccine, so we are glad we had it. Saves a lot of worry.
British....I do understand that the only country we are entering from the USA is Zambia. However...I also looked at the other country restrictions from one country to the other and Zambia does not require YF from USA or from Zimbabwe...Botswana does not require it from Zambia...and South Africa does not require it from Botswana.
However I also understand and see how things can change from day to day and from country to country.
I am not opposed to making sure we are safe and we are covered...it sounds like we will have several inoculations that we are going to have to get and will probably start on that next summer. We are a little less than two years away.
Alans...i accept all of your points and have no argument against any of them. Arguing was not the purpose of my post....understanding and being informed is. You may have beat this horse to death...but i just started the ride. I am an experienced horse woman....but i still like to get to know the horse I about to sit on before i ask him to move out. I may ask a lot of questions that have been asked before and if i annoy you feel free not to answer my questions. I am an experienced traveler...this is our second tauck experience...but our first time to Africa. I am excited and terrified all at the same time. I like to have all of my ducks in a row...I am OCD. So be patient with those of us sticking our toes in the water...while you may think we should just jump in...some of us are still trying to figure out which questions to even ask.
I will contact our health provider and see if he can offer me any more information...but we live in Podunk junction...and our small town doc only works three days a week. Maybe with a little luck he has been to Africa and is a fount of information.
Not sure if this helps, but they did not ask for proof of our yellow fever vaccinations when we were on the tour. My husband and I did get it a few years ago, so we were covered. I have no idea if others in our group had the shot or not.
First, even if you must travel, seek out a travel doctor. They are specialists in global diseases and inoculations. It is totally irrelevant whether anyone else got or didn't get a particular shot. We all have different medical histories.
I understand your excitement. We are signed up for our 10th Tauck tour, but are still rookies compared to British and Joyce, but we still get excited as I'm sure British and Joyce do. In addition to offering a list of things to consider (some people don't think through all the things that can go wrong), the reason for my response above and my response to your more recent thread, is that many folks have not discovered the extent of information in the forum archives or haven't figured out how to use the forum search function, so they miss out on a lot of good information. Tauck's forum structure, especially now when the area forum archives keep disappearing, is not the most user-friendly. But as I suggested in my response to your other thread, reading the forums will not only answer most of your recent questions, but will answer questions you don't have now but may have in the future (e.g. How big, etc. is the Tauck duffel bag). There are not all that many of us who come back here and post after their trips or regularly frequent the forums to share information and gained experiences, but those of us who do, try our best to be patient and helpful; we may not always be successful.
I am not familiar with any "travel doctors" and i do live in a small town...but i will research and see if i can find any within close proximity...or better yet...make that a honey do for my husband who will be retiring soon...lol
I sense you are a very enthusiastic traveler. Consider doing what I and others do. Use the research, both here and elsewhere on the web (Google, TripAdvisor, Rick Steves, etc. etc.) not only to learn about your upcoming or potential trips, but to help build or maintain excitement in the months (years? : ( ) leading up to the next trip. I not only research the trip basics (location, people, weather, clothes, etc.) but I also investigate and do the planning for potential pre, post, and on-tour private excursions. I have a blast doing this and it has resulted in one of or possibly the best Tauck Tour we have ever experienced- Classic Italy. We planned extra-tour activities/sightseeing in Naples, Florence, and Venice to fill our free time.
We recently returned from the Tauck Amsterdam to Budapest river cruise...the forum was very quiet compared to this one...and i am loving the interaction and knowledge shared here!
I gotta say...life is good....We are seeing places i only dreamed of.
I confess I don't know how to post them here either....maybe Alan needs to do a step by step tutorial!
We all get into trouble sometime...you give wonderful helpful information...and we all have the option to ignore the stuff we don't need or appreciate.
I included the instructions in an older (K&T?) photo thread. One of these days, I guess I should post a dedicated photo thread on the "General Discussion" forum. : )