Africa - Question about the yellow fever vaccine

Hi,

I will be in southern Africa, though not in any countries where yellow fever is endemic. However, I will be in a non-yellow fever country (Botswana) near the border with a yellow fever country (Angola). On the return, I have to transit Kenya (yellow fever zone) for a 9-10 hour layover before continuing on to Switzerland. My question is...do I have to get a yellow fever shot to enter Kenya for those 9-10 hours and or will Switzerland allow me back into the EU without a Yellow fever shot if I am coming from Kenya? I find it highly unlikely I would contract yellow fever during a 9 hour stop in Nairobi. I've been reading up on the vaccine and the incidence of serious side effects including organ failure and death seems to be ~1/400,000 with seems absurdly high. I would like to avoid the vaccine is possible. I am an otherwise healthy male in my 20's. Thanks.

I've been to Kenya and they are pretty strict about folks having a yellow card (which shows that you've received the vaccine). When I entered Kenya at NBO, they were checking for yellow cards and two folks in my party forgot to bring theirs. They got sent off to another room and had to pay a fee (around $80 US each I think) to get a new card.

will you be able to stay in transit in kenya?

Please continue to follow this thread in the FT Africa Forum.
Thanks..
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

I would highly advise anyone travelling in Africa to get the Yellow Fever vaccine. It isn't worth the risk to not take it.

We have just come back from Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia & South Africa. Not once at any border crossing did anyone ask for our yellow card. The Yellow Fever shot is so costly now that I can imagine you would not want to take it. While I hesitate to advise because travel in southern Africa can be easily problematic... I think if it were me I would not take the shot under the circumstances you describe. And if you are flying with South African Air, be very careful... we had problems with them botching our reservation. We can to email a Freq Flier friend in Chicago and were on line wtih them an hour while United rerouted us out of JNB with Lufthansa.

We have just come back from Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia & South Africa. Not once at any border crossing did anyone ask for our yellow card. The Yellow Fever shot is so costly now that I can imagine you would not want to take it. While I hesitate to advise because travel in southern Africa can be easily problematic... I think if it were me I would not take the shot under the circumstances you describe. And if you are flying with South African Air, be very careful... we had problems with them botching our reservation. We can to email a Freq Flier friend in Chicago and were on line wtih them an hour while United rerouted us out of JNB with Lufthansa.

Botswana, S.Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe don't require yellow cards. It's just the Kenya stop. I'm wondering if this will apply to be just for a 9-10 hour layover. I don't have an issue with the cost of the shot, I am just irrationally paranoid about the possible negative side effects.

Apologies for not being able to help with advise on Kenya. As far as the YF shot... over the years, I've taken at least 3 times, most recently in July 2011. No side effects whatsoever for me or my husband (his second time to take the shot in July).

When I got my shot, I also experienced no side effects.

I don't know what the OP's citizenship is, but transit visas for US citizens don't appear to allow the holder to leave the airport. NBO is not a large airport and wouldn't be the best place to sit for 9-10 hours.

When I got my shot, I also experienced no side effects.

I don't know what the OP's citizenship is, but transit visas for US citizens don't appear to allow the holder to leave the airport. NBO is not a large airport and wouldn't be the best place to sit for 9-10 hours.

I believe visas on arrival are available at NBO. I was going to purchase a regular entry visa and leave the airport and have lunch with a friend based in Nairobi. I agree, sitting there for such a long time would be lousy. To the person who has had the shot 3 times, I thought that the shot lasted minimum 10 years and thereafter you (maybe) needed a booster every 10 years? No side effects at all? My reading said 5-25% of people get mild side effects like headache and low grade fever. Obviously those side effects don't worry me, just the possibility of severe ones.

Getting a visa on arrival should work. You'll have to stand in an extra line for it but it looked like the line was moving at a steady pace.

Just as a heads up, some countries (though I don't think Switzerland) are now requiring that you show proof of a yellow fever vaccine if you've even been inside the airport in certain countries. (For example, as of Oct. 1, 2011 I believe, you can't enter South Africa without a yellow card if your flight stopped in any country with yellow fever.)

Although it might not affect you for this trip, it might be worth knowing for future trips.

Actually South Africa has required Yellow Fever certs for many years now, depending on your country of departure. And it reality it often depends if you are black or white. White businessmen are rarely asked to produce their cards, although it can happen.

And another reason to have a card with you, even if you believe your routing doesn't require it. There can be last minute route changes and diversions. What if you divert to a place that does require the cards, and you don't have one?

I believe visas on arrival are available at NBO. I was going to purchase a regular entry visa and leave the airport and have lunch with a friend based in Nairobi. I agree, sitting there for such a long time would be lousy. To the person who has had the shot 3 times, I thought that the shot lasted minimum 10 years and thereafter you (maybe) needed a booster every 10 years? No side effects at all? My reading said 5-25% of people get mild side effects like headache and low grade fever. Obviously those side effects don't worry me, just the possibility of severe ones.

Yes, you can get a visa on arrival at NBO. I think the current fee is US$25. Make sure you have new modern bills that have the red ink if you use dollars. You can also use euros or pounds. You can also get a multi-entry visa in town if you are going often to NBO. However even a single entry visa can be used as multi-entry if you are traveling around the east African community.

And yes, the Yellow Fever shot and certificate are good for 10 years.

I've seen it mentioned several times on the LP Thorntree boards that you can buy fake YF certificates in Bolivia. There's got to be other places to buy them, too.