Yellow fever advice

We're doing the cruise round South America in Jan on Black Watch and took advice from our GP practice about vaccinations. However I read on another forum that you need to be vaccinated against YF if you're entering Uruguay from Brazil - which we are. We're hoping our GP will give us an exemption certificate but is there anybody out there who's done a South America cruise and can tell us if they needed to show their vaccination or exemption certificate in Montevideo? Or maybe someone from Fred Olsen will reply to this?

We're doing the cruise round South America in Jan on Black Watch and took advice from our GP practice about vaccinations. However I read on another forum that you need to be vaccinated against YF if you're entering Uruguay from Brazil - which we are. We're hoping our GP will give us an exemption certificate but is there anybody out there who's done a South America cruise and can tell us if they needed to show their vaccination or exemption certificate in Montevideo? Or maybe someone from Fred Olsen will reply to this?

One thing to remember is you need to have the injection 2 weeks before you arrive to give it time to work.

I always feel it wise to keep my yellow fever innoculations up to date especially if I visit South America. A valid certificate is needed to enter some countries. The good thing is that it lasts 10 years and has no side effects on me. If concerned it is best to consult your GP or a reputable travel clinic.

We went to the Amazon a number of years back and anyone without a certificate was not allowed on the ship. We flew to Madeira, where we embarked the ship, but the yellow fever certificates were checked at Manchester airport before checking in for the cruise company's charter flight. One person who was booked into a suite had a yellow fever certificate that was out of date. Hence we sailed with a vacant suite and someone had a very large bill to 'not' go on holiday as insurance would not have paid up.

If you have the injection, it will cost a bit, but it is a minor part of the cost of any cruise and you will be covered for 10 years and probably the rest of your life, as advice is now that the jab gives cover for a life rather than just 10 years. When we had our jabs re done earlier this year we were told the criteria was changing, but that it could take a few years for that to take effect, so we had the jab re done, which is actually cheaper than the cost of paying for a couple of exemption certificates to say we have had the jab previously so will be immune.

We had no effects whatsoever from the jabs, but I cannot say the same for flu jabs, which often affect me badly. Even if there was a slight effect, it would be far less than the effect of contracting yellow fever. Also, does your insurance company cover you if you do not have the recommended jabs and medication - ours does not and it is quite a good insurance company.

If you have any medical issues which would mean the injection could be a problem then that would be disscussed with you before the jab was done.

Just a few thoughts to consider.

Thanks for the comments. My Oh has an underlying condition which means he shouldn't / wouldn't be given the YF vaccination and as we're only visiting coastal regions and not travelling up the Amazon our practice told us we didn't need the vaccinations. I checked on the WHO map and it confirms that. Did any of you do the same kind of cruise we're doing?

Our cruise spent two weeks actually up the Amazon, then North up the coast of South America so we did not visit Uruguay and also the criteria could have changed.

We had our jabs re done early this year as we were booked to go to Senegal followed by Gambia and Gambia requires a vaccination certificate for people who are travelling from a country where there is risk of transmission, (in our case Senegal). It was also recomended for us to have had it as infection was possible, (albeit unlikely). The ports in Senegal and Gambia have now been dropped, so we do not need it for that cruise now anyway, but there goes we may need it in the next few years anyway. There was a shortage of the vaccine earlier this year so we had to go to the Trop School in Liverpool as our GP could not get hold of any - not sure if there is still a shortage though.

Whether you need it or not enjoy your cruise - it sounds very good.

Thanks for the comments. My Oh has an underlying condition which means he shouldn't / wouldn't be given the YF vaccination and as we're only visiting coastal regions and not travelling up the Amazon our practice told us we didn't need the vaccinations. I checked on the WHO map and it confirms that. Did any of you do the same kind of cruise we're doing?

Yes, I have taken round South America cruises on the "Black Watch" and the "Balmoral".