When traveling to Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, D.R. Congo, a yellow fever vaccination certificate is one important tool you will be required to present before authorities in order to get a visa. It is one of the significant entry requirements for visitors wishing to access for instance Uganda via Entebbe International Airport (EBB) or through the country’s land border areas.
Vaccination against yellow fever is recommended so as to reduce the high risk of transmitting the virus to places where it has not affected. The government through Ministry of Health requires all visitors traveling to Uganda for various reasons to present this certificate upon entry or exit. For travelers coming from the high risk areas, a proof/certificate for yellow fever will be needed.
Validity of yellow fever certificates.
Unlike before, the new and existing certificates are currently valid for life. As of 11th July 2016, The World Health Organization affirmed that travelers won’t need to present proof of re-vaccination / booster dose as entry requirement. However, the latter won’t be applicable across the border authorities especially during transition phase.
Yellow fever vaccination waiver.
A medical practitioner can issue a yellow fever vaccination waiver where the vaccine contraindicates for reasons related to medical. Challenges may accrue when a traveler is on border crossing and waiver won’t be respected. It is advisable to keep safe from the high risk yellow fever areas.
Who should be vaccinated against yellow fever?
Any person of 9 months and above can take the yellow fever vaccine. This is recommended for protection reasons not only in Uganda but also other African countries lying within the endemic area.
About Yellow Fever.
Yellow fever is a viral disease, caused by the RNA viruses. This is widely spread by a female mosquito “Aedes Aegypti” and humans contract it after being bitten by infected mosquitoes. Sub-Saharan Africa is currently an endemic region on the African continent.
What are the signs & symptoms?
Most infections normally don’t show any symptoms and it takes infected persons with symptoms between 3 and 6 days to become ill. This is after being exposed to the virus, but the common symptoms include among others backache, nausea, muscle pain, vomiting and sudden fever. Unlike other viral diseases, the recovery rate is slightly high for yellow fever but some people can have severe / extreme symptoms and this usually happens in 2 days’ time.
Some of the African states that require yellow fever certificate as entry requirement include among others Madagascar, South Africa, Ghana, Eritrea, Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Seychelles, Togo, Liberia, and Zambia. Others include Uganda, Nigeria, Mali, Kenya, Libya, Tanzania, South Sudan, Niger, et al.
Note: As of to date, there isn’t specific treatment for yellow fever, a reason why travelers are encouraged to take preventative measures like vaccination. This is aimed at curbing its wide spread and always seek advice from professional medical personnel.
Getting a yellow fever certificate.
You can get a yellow fever certificate while still back home via the local or your country health department. The essential tool required is an original passport, international travel tickets and others. You can as well inquire from authorities in charge if there are additional requirements.
Can a yellow fever certificate be replaced?
After obtaining a yellow fever vaccination certificate, it is important to ensure that you keep it safe, just like any other travel document, but there is possibility to have your certificate replaced, depending on local health rules.
Other vaccinations a traveler may require while on Uganda safari or East Africa holiday include rabies vaccination, hepatitis B, polio, tetanus, meningitis, cholera, diphtheria, tuberculosis, typhoid and hepatitis A.
