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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  • edited May 2017
    When we travelled across the river from Zambia to Botswana last year on this tour, an official boarded our bus and asked to see our Yellow fever certificates, we all had them, so I do not know what happens if you do not have one.
    I heard the vaccine is in short supply recently, so if you decide to get it, it might not be so easy to find.
  • Thanks;I have been reading your posts.When I enquired locally with a passport clinic,there seems to be no shortage of vaccines.
  • Further clarification of yellow fever vaccine:British is correct about the shortage;The company that makes YF-VAX that is used in US has limited supply and is expected to run out of vaccine this summer.However FDA and the cmpany will be getting another YF vaccine stamaril that is used internationally.Not sure how this will affect travel to countries with high YF transmission.
  • We were never asked to show proof of vaccination, but we had gotten a waiver from our doctor at home, just to be safe.
  • Thanks grandinroad! We did consult with travel clinic also known as Passport Health.They informed us that Zambian Embassy requires that ravellers to and from Zambia have proof of YF vaccination or a valid waiver.In addition to clarifying the requirements for YF the nurse was able to cover comprehensively all other aspects including insect borne and waterborne diseases and how to prevent them.We were shown a video covering all of these topics as well as health insurance and personal safety.Highly recommend this before travel.
  • Hi Sudhamali!

    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!
  • I visited the health clinic yesterday:

    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.
  • KathrynH: May I ask where you are located? We still cannot find either vaccine in Southwest Florida. Thank you.
  • edited October 2017
    There are websites in southern Florida to consult:
    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
  • Thank you for trying to help, but I have already reached out to almost all on that list. The CDC list does not keep up regularly with who has current supply. Hurricane Irma has not helped things here either, particularly in southwest Florida we are all trying to recover.
  • We are booked for this trip September 7 2019. I am doing as much research as I can...and appreciate the contributions here. My husband and i are 62 and 65....and from most things we are reading...we are more at risk to receive the YF vaccine...and upon looking at CDC I find this information.

    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.
  • We are booked for this trip September 7 2019. I am doing as much research as I can...and appreciate the contributions here. My husband and i are 62 and 65....and from most things we are reading...we are more at risk to receive the YF vaccine...and upon looking at CDC I find this information.

    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).
  • We are booked for this trip September 7 2019. I am doing as much research as I can...and appreciate the contributions here. My husband and i are 62 and 65....and from most things we are reading...we are more at risk to receive the YF vaccine...and upon looking at CDC I find this information.

    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.


    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.
  • Thank you all for your answers.

    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.
  • Cindyandsteveg,
    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.
  • thank you...i am not opposed to getting it just trying to figure out all the inoculations we may need.

  • AlanS...i accept all of your points and have no argument against any of them. 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.

    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.
  • Thank you...I have been going back pages to older threads. I Have been a member here for a while but have not ventured beyond the forum applicable to me at the time. I will continue to search.

    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
  • Thank you...I have been going back pages to older threads. I Have been a member here for a while but have not ventured beyond the forum applicable to me at the time. I will continue to search.

    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.
  • AlanS...we work to travel!!! however one of us gets to stay home come January! I love planning vacations...right now we have 5 booked vacations...I love to study and research and learn as much as i can...and i always appreciate folks sharing their knowledge with me. SO bear with me....I am already having a blast!

    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!
  • We worked to travel too, but my hubby has retired this year and we have five Tauck trips booked plus Namibia coming up with a rival company ( Tauck no longer do Namibia) not inpressed by them too much at the moment because they forgot to send out our duffels which we have to use from the home point. Then in April we have a week in London because we have tickets to see Hamilton, much cheaper than our NY ones but much better seats. Yes , all those night shifts and working over Christmases is finally paying off.
  • wow British!!!! that's fabulous! do you have a travel page somewhere? I would love to look through all of your photos!

    I gotta say...life is good....We are seeing places i only dreamed of.
  • No, no blog or travel page and I am not on Facebook. Tauck forum is my only vice and even that gets me in trouble sometimes. But I am always very well behaved if you meet me on a Tauck tour. I'm afraid the only person who can figure out posting photos on the forum is Alan and I love seeing them
  • I love seeing his pictures too!

    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.
  • British wrote:
    No, no blog or travel page and I am not on Facebook. Tauck forum is my only vice and even that gets me in trouble sometimes. But I am always very well behaved if you meet me on a Tauck tour. I'm afraid the only person who can figure out posting photos on the forum is Alan and I love seeing them

    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. : )
  • Great idea!!!
  • Yeah!!! We finally got our Stamaril (yellow fever) shots today. At least in South Florida it isn't at every travel clinic but you can get it. As noted elsewhere there is a lengthy disclosure and consent form to sign. Where we requested ours they said to control the supply we had to be traveling within 30 days , so be prepared to indicate that. We now look forward to getting our duffle bags and final documentation. Will report back in June after our adventure!
  • Does anyone know whether they are still asking at the border for the Yellow Fever vaccination proof? We are on the May 12th trip. Our doctors said we wouldn't need the shot and made no recommendation to get it 'just in case'. I don't want to end up quarantined at the border...
  • Does anyone know whether they are still asking at the border for the Yellow Fever vaccination proof? We are on the May 12th trip. Our doctors said we wouldn't need the shot and made no recommendation to get it 'just in case'. I don't want to end up quarantined at the border...
  • Does anyone know whether they are still asking at the border for the Yellow Fever vaccination proof? We are on the May 12th trip. Our doctors said we wouldn't need the shot and made no recommendation to get it 'just in case'. I don't want to end up quarantined at the border...
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