Africa - Is Yellow Fever vaccine the only thing required?

I'm about to take off my big Africa trip. Incl. Kenya/Tanzania.

A vaccine against Yellow Fever is the only vaccine required or do any countries need proof of any other vaccines?

And how do I proof that I've got it. Do I need international certificate?

Many thanks in advance!

I'm about to take off my big Africa trip. Incl. Kenya/Tanzania.

A vaccine against Yellow Fever is the only vaccine required or do any countries need proof of any other vaccines?

And how do I proof that I've got it. Do I need international certificate?

Many thanks in advance!

Unless this has changed recently, no yellowfever vaccine required unless you've been to a yellowfever area before

Unless this has changed recently, no yellowfever vaccine required unless you've been to a yellowfever area before

There is of course a difference betwen what is require and what is a good idea. Various sites sugggest you are up to date with

Hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella and polio (many of these you may have had anyway with childhood immunisationprograms but always worth checking)

Forgot to add, most countries have specific agencies who can advise on the (the advice is free if not the vaccinations) and frankly would be seeking out expert advise rather then on here. Not suggeesting people on FT won't give well-meaning advice but advice on vacinatons does change for time to time and I'd rather take advice on matter such as this from experts. Africa does still have some nasty diseases prettty much eradicated elsewhere and this is not something I'd want to be scrimping on.

From a legal standpoint, yellow fever vaccine is the only one that can legally be required anywhere in the world. That is why you have to get the yellow card showing it.

Lots of other things are recommended - typically typhoid and hepatitis A. Personally, I wouldn't skimp on those, but lack of them will not get you turned away at a border.

Yellow fever is required by some countries, and a stick (vaccine) lasts ten years - so if one is adventurous and will travel to yellow fever areas, a good preventive vaccination to have (along with diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus. Polio is unknown in developed nations, but is still around, and as an oldster, some of my friends had polio - from a gimpy leg to full iron lung experiences - and are sometimes now dealing with nasty post-polio syndrome. A working malaria prophylaxis or presumptive treatment is also useful to take in many tropical areas in the world.

In any case, I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on television - but I do take care of myself in places like Africa or Papua New Guinea... some excellent information sites for Anglphones:

link (http://www.iamat.org/index.cfm)to International Assoc. for Medical Assistance to Travellers

link (wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel)to U S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ("CDC") Travel Health

link (http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/tmp-pmv/index-eng.php)to Public Health Agency of Canada Travel Health

link (http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/TravelHealth/Pages/Travelhealthhome.aspx)to United Kingdom National Health Service Travel Health

link (http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/tips/health.html)to Australia Government smartraveller health

link (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs100/en/)to World Health Organisation yellow fever information

link (www.who.int/ith/chapters/ith2011countrylist.pdf)to WHO PDF sheet on country yellow fever requirements

link (http://www.who.int/ith/en/) to WHO International Travel and Health book (viewable and downloadable)

link (www.iamat.org)to IAMAT (International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers)

Yellow fever is required by some countries, and a stick (vaccine) lasts ten years - so if one is adventurous and will travel to yellow fever areas, a good preventive vaccination to have (along with diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus. Polio is unknown in developed nations, but is still around, and as an oldster, some of my friends had polio - from a gimpy leg to full iron lung experiences - and are sometimes now dealing with nasty post-polio syndrome. A working malaria prophylaxis or presumptive treatment is also useful to take in many tropical areas in the world.

In any case, I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on television - but I do take care of myself in places like Africa or Papua New Guinea... some excellent information sites for Anglphones:

link (http://www.iamat.org/index.cfm)to International Assoc. for Medical Assistance to Travellers

link (wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel)to U S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ("CDC") Travel Health

link (http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/tmp-pmv/index-eng.php)to Public Health Agency of Canada Travel Health

link (http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/TravelHealth/Pages/Travelhealthhome.aspx)to United Kingdom National Health Service Travel Health

link (http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/tips/health.html)to Australia Government smartraveller health

Thank you very much for your advice.

I will only stay in some of the finest hotels so is all these unknown vaccines needed? Isn't that only neccesary if you go to small villages and are a lot among the local people?

I will only stay in some of the finest hotels

Diseases are no respecters of luxury accommodation or those using it! For your own safety make sure all your regular vaccinations are up-to-date, get yourself vaccinated against Yellow Fever and start your course of antimalarials before you travel, during your travels and at the end of your travels when you return home as prescribed by your doctor.

Much better to be sure of the quality of what you are taking in the way of medicines, and hygenic vaccination conditions. You don't want to find yourself arriving in a country and being taken aside for a jab as a condition of entry because you weren't prepared in advance.

Be safe. You only live once. And have a great trip.

Amazing how mosquitoes just don't care how upscale the accommodation is. An acquaintance who operated one of Kenya's most upscale lodges (in the highlands, so he felt the altitude was sufficient to eliminate the possibility of Anopheles mosquitoes and their Plasmodium falciparum malarial parasites,) died of cerebral malaria because he did not understand that.

And though you may be in a fine lodging, perhaps the cook's assistant, who did not feel up to telling the boss he has been feeling ill because he was afraid of being dismissed, has been passing on his Salmonella typhii typhoid bacteria to guests in their salads or crudites. ;)

The other problem is that if the vaccination is required for entry to a country, the health authorities will not care where one is staying - but they may do the stick themselves, which can lead from things like inadequate protection because the vaccine is too soon to take effect to lapsed or poorly stored vaccine to improperly cared for needles - think hepatitis, HIV, etc.

Much easier and safer to be properly prepared and get active vaccine from someone you know is properly equipped at home, than an eager but not properly trained or supplied health aide in a developing country - though that can happen at home too, it's less likely. (One corpsman once administered me many times the recommended dosage of plague vaccine - I was a bit under the weather for a couple of days, but it could have been worse.)

Amazing how mosquitoes just don't care how upscale the accommodation is.True, but upscale lodges go to far greater lengths to make life miserable for mosquitoes. You can expect proper full-size impregnated bednets without holes, rooms that are sprayed daily (and anually with DDT in South Africa), as well as lodge grounds where all pools, puddles and other potential mosquito breeding sites have been drained or poisoned. It is quite possible to spend a week or longer at a game lodge in the rainy season and not encounter a single mosquito. I speak from experience.

Malaria is nothing you should worry about as a game lodge guest. The chances of getting it are extremely low, and if you do anyway it is something that can easily be dealt with. Unless you are very young, old, frail, sick or simply stupid, it is not going to be fatal.

Johan

Not everywhere is as assiduous - the lodge manager at one Kenya upscale highlands lodge died of cerebral malaria, because he thought there could be no problem. There are significant differences in different countries and what is possible, sanitation and even medical competence (why we have the saying in some places "When in pain, take the plane"). He wasn't overly young, old, frail or sickly, so he must have been stupid. ;)

For some destinations (e.g. much of RSA/ZA) I frankly do not use prophylaxis myself - I may carry Malarone to use presumptively if I ever have malarial symptoms. This has worked well for me but I would certanly never make recommendations to others about health-related issues with such import.


True, but upscale lodges go to far greater lengths to make life miserable for mosquitoes. You can expect proper full-size impregnated bednets without holes, rooms that are sprayed daily (and anually with DDT in South Africa), as well as lodge grounds where all pools, puddles and other potential mosquito breeding sites have been drained or poisoned. It is quite possible to spend a week or longer at a game lodge in the rainy season and not encounter a single mosquito. I speak from experience.

Malaria is nothing you should worry about as a game lodge guest. The chances of getting it are extremely low, and if you do anyway it is something that can easily be dealt with. Unless you are very young, old, frail, sick or simply stupid, it is not going to be fatal.

Johan