Yellow fever

Is a yellow fever vaccine suggested for one day visits to Rio? I will be travelling through Chile, Uruguay and Argentina prior to arriving in Rio.

The CDC website has all the information you need to know about what vaccinations are required and/or recommended.

http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinationList.aspx

The information regarding the necessity of a yellow fever vaccination is very confusing!

On the CDC site, it is not required in Brazil, and the cities of Sao Paulo, Rio, Fortaleza, are not in an endemic area.

However, on the Brazilian consulate site, visitors who have been in other countries (namely Ecuador and Peru for our cruise) where Yellow Fever is endemic must have the inoculation to enter Brazil. The cities in Ecuador and Peru where the cruise ship docks are NOT in endemic areas.

Does anyone know the correct requirement???

ricki

The CDC lists the requirements for someone flying DIRECTLY FROM THE US to the target country. Conversely, it will also list the requirements for people from other countries coming into the US.

Just like the US, each country's website will list the requirements for people arriving from all other countries in the world into that country (or having been in any other country before arriving). Customs agents are not going to check which cities you visited before coming into their country. They don't care. (Plus people may lie about which cities they visited in other countries.) If you visited one of the countries in their vaccination list, you will be required to have the vaccine. That applies to people from other countries going into Brazil, the US, anywhere. The local customs agents check their own country's list, not the CDC's or your ship's itinerary.

The CDC's website is a handy summary. However, the controling local law is in each individual country's website or through its consulates in the US.

Get the shot! The alternative is sitting in a quarantine detention center while waiting for the first flight out.

The CDC lists the requirements for someone flying DIRECTLY FROM THE US to the target country. Conversely, it will also list the requirements for people from other countries coming into the US.

 

Just like the US, each country's website will list the requirements for people arriving from all other countries in the world into that country (or having been in any other country before arriving). Customs agents are not going to check which cities you visited before coming into their country. They don't care. (Plus people may lie about which cities they visited in other countries.) If you visited one of the countries in their vaccination list, you will be required to have the vaccine. That applies to people from other countries going into Brazil, the US, anywhere. The local customs agents check their own country's list, not the CDC's or your ship's itinerary.

 

The CDC's website is a handy summary. However, the controling local law is in each individual country's website or through its consulates in the US.

 

Get the shot! The alternative is sitting in a quarantine detention center while waiting for the first flight out.

VERY well written. CDC info has NOTHING to do with what an individual immigration officer in a foreign country may ask for.

More and more countries in SA are now asking for YF after the uncontrolled outbreak in Brazil this Spring. Uruguay (which is on a lot of cruise itineraries) now has the requirement. Whether you will be asked is a function of the SPECIFIC immigration officer doing the checking. But if you get one that asks and you do not have the YF vaccination card, what are you going to do???

Get the shot unless you have a medical reason NOT to get it. Then you can get a legally acceptable waiver, written by your doctor and signed off by your health dept. Your REALLY don't want to be the one person denied entry to a country and find yourself in quarantine or stuck at a police station.

The information regarding the necessity of a yellow fever vaccination is very confusing!

 

On the CDC site, it is not required in Brazil, and the cities of Sao Paulo, Rio, Fortaleza, are not in an endemic area.

 

However, on the Brazilian consulate site, visitors who have been in other countries (namely Ecuador and Peru for our cruise) where Yellow Fever is endemic must have the inoculation to enter Brazil. The cities in Ecuador and Peru where the cruise ship docks are NOT in endemic areas.

 

Does anyone know the correct requirement???

 

ricki

You MUST send in your ship itinerary for a Brazilian visa. IF you have been in Ecuador, Peru, Panama, Columbia, Venezuela or most of Africa, you MUST send a copy of the YF card. After the outbreak of YF this Spring in Brazil, they are taking NO chances.

Unless you have a medical reason NOT to get the shot, get it.

Ouch! I'm going to have to get the shot, I was hoping someone was going to tell me that I didn't need it!

Ricki

I'm going to be on a cruise that stops in Brazil and Peru, Costa Rica is a later stop. CR requires a YF vaccination if I had visited these countries.

I called the Red Cross and asked if visiting the areas that are on my ship's itinerary would prohibit me from donating blood products. They said no.

My assumption is that there is no compelling benefit to getting the YF vaccine. There are minor risks of side effects and it would cost about US$300 for the shots.

My understanding is the the cruise line will not deny boarding to passengers without YF certificates.

I wonder how closely the Costa Rican officials will check the paperwork of 3000+ cruise passengers departing a ship.

I have been to Costa Rico before. I would rather spend the day on the ship than pay $300 just to get off the ship.

I'm going to skip the shot, in *my* case the risks and expense don't warrant the possible benefits.

(Did I overlook something or make some false assumptions? If so, I'd like to know about this)

Thanks

Have you thought of the "compelling benefit" of NOT getting yellow fever?

I'm going to be on a cruise that stops in Brazil and Peru, Costa Rica is a later stop. CR requires a YF vaccination if I had visited these countries.

 

I called the Red Cross and asked if visiting the areas that are on my ship's itinerary would prohibit me from donating blood products. They said no.

 

My assumption is that there is no compelling benefit to getting the YF vaccine. There are minor risks of side effects and it would cost about US$300 for the shots.

 

My understanding is the the cruise line will not deny boarding to passengers without YF certificates.

 

I wonder how closely the Costa Rican officials will check the paperwork of 3000+ cruise passengers departing a ship.

 

I have been to Costa Rico before. I would rather spend the day on the ship than pay $300 just to get off the ship.

 

I'm going to skip the shot, in *my* case the risks and expense don't warrant the possible benefits.

 

(Did I overlook something or make some false assumptions? If so, I'd like to know about this)

 

 

Thanks

I wonder how closely the Costa Rican officials will check the paperwork of 3000+ cruise passengers departing a ship.

Am I missing something here. Ive read so many posts about people asking whether or not to have the Yellow Fever shot. When discussing the pros and cons, the cons are always is it worth the cost, will officials in the country let me in etc etc .Most peolple seem to be looking for an excuse not to have it.

WHY has nobody thought about the biggest con of not having the shot. THE possibility of contracting Yellow Fever and the possibility of death.!!!!

There have been cases of Yellow Fever reported in Rio in the last couple of years. Ive had the shot. Id rather risk the side effect of a shot than risk contracting the disease.

Sarah

I'm going to be on a cruise that stops in Brazil and Peru, Costa Rica is a later stop. CR requires a YF vaccination if I had visited these countries.

In Peru, ANY area BELOW 2300 meters (about 7500 feet) is considered an ENDEMIC area. I am in Peru for business at least 4 times per year. In fact, I just left Peru the first of the week. I am currently in Chile. I see Peruvian immigration authorities ask for YF records frequently.

My understanding is that the cruise line will not deny boarding to passengers without YF certificates.

 

I wonder how closely the Costa Rican officials will check the paperwork of 3000+ cruise passengers departing a ship.

If you are on the Amsterdam 30+ day cruise from Rio to San Diego, HAL would be negligent if they did NOT REQUIRE YF vaccination records prior to boarding.

Uruguay is REQUIRING YF after the outbreak this year in Brazil when you have been in Brazil within 90 days. Peru could deny entry, Ecuador could deny entry and Costa Rica most likely WILL DENY entry. South American countries are VERY skittish about YF after the large outbreak which was generally uncontrolled in Brazil this past Spring.

If you are American, your passport will most likely be KEPT in the purser's office to ease processing in each country. When the immigration agents board the ship to process passports, yours would stick out like a sore thumb when all the rest have the bright yellow vaccination records included.

I would highly suggest you rethink your position.

:) Received a nice call from Juan at the Consulate of Uruguay this morning - per his response to my email about the Yellow Fever shot for their country.

He assured me that there is NO such requirement to enter his country. In

fact, there has NEVER been such a request. I did ask him to inform me ASAP in case the situation changes before next Jan.'09 (Mariner of the Seas - Around the Cape - 46 days). However, those passengers continuing on the third leg of this trip ARE REQUIRED to have the YF shot

to enter Costa Rica.:(

:) Received a nice call from Juan at the Consulate of Uruguay this morning - per his response to my email about the Yellow Fever shot for their country.

He assured me that there is NO such requirement to enter his country. In

fact, there has NEVER been such a request. I did ask him to inform me ASAP in case the situation changes before next Jan.'09 (Mariner of the Seas - Around the Cape - 46 days). However, those passengers continuing on the third leg of this trip ARE REQUIRED to have the YF shot

to enter Costa Rica.:(

Another example of a Consulate employee IN THE USA NOT knowing what is REALLY going on in his home country. Seems to be happening with a lot of US based employees of foreign consulates-especially those from SE Asia and SA (I do a lot of business there and they just CAN'T get the rules straight on a lot of things)

The requirement was put into effect this Spring after the YF epidemic in Brazil. Paraguay had YF get into their country after a long time without it and deaths occurred. South America got scared. There were riots in Brazil and Paraquay because there was no vaccine.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/02/22/paraguay.yellow.fever/index.html

Don't believe me??? Then here is the WHO website. WHO was on the front line fighting the YF epidemic in SA this Spring.

http://www.who.int/ith/countries/ury/en/

It VERY clearly states if you are coming from a country where YF is present, you MUST have the YF vaccination. If you are going directly to Uruguay, NO vaccination required or even recommended. But coming from Brazil??? You are certainly taking a chance.

On a ship, you MAY get a waiver. But as Marazul pointed out soooo eloquently, it is truly the luck of the draw, depending on which immigration officer decides to enforce which rules. And that is your Catch 22.

Thanks, greatam. And thanks for all your good advice.

And as Sarahuk pointed out, the vaccine is for YOUR protection and of those around you. Many people think that since they are coming from a country where there is no YF, they are not going to give it to anyone so they don't need the vaccine. That is totally backwards. If you are going to a country where there is YF, YOU are at risk. Even if the area you are visiting does not have YF, people travel within those countries. (And mosquitoes do fly across country borders, like at Iguazu.) The incubation period is 3 to 6 days before symptoms appear. All it takes is two mosquito bites: first the mosquito bites the infected person and then it bites you.

You could be sitting at the beach in Rio. If the person near you has just returned from the Amazon area and he had a YF mosquito bite before he left, he may not yet have symptoms. Then all it takes is the Rio mosquito biting both of you. Low probability? Maybe; maybe not.

Unless and until mosquitoes are trained to read the CDC website and avoid American tourists, get the shot!

Check the symptoms:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/yellowfever/YF_Symptoms.html

This is from the CDC website:

**Quote**

Because of recent reports of deaths due to yellow fever among unvaccinated travelers to yellow fever-endemic areas, yellow fever vaccination of travelers to high-risk areas should be encouraged as a key prevention strategy; however, because severe adverse events can follow yellow fever vaccination, physicians should be careful to administer the vaccine only to persons truly at risk for exposure to yellow fever. Studies are being conducted to clarify the cause and risk factors for these rare serious adverse events associated with yellow fever vaccine.

**Unquote**

source: http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBookCh4-YellowFever.aspx

I just wanted to add this bit of information to clarify my stance on vaccines:

If you need a vaccine to protect you or to protect the community, get it. If you (or the community) don't need the vaccine, don't get it.

The original question was about a day trip to Rio. If everyone that goes to Rio for the day gets the vaccine there will be more people harmed by the vaccine than saved by preventing Yellow Fever. That is why the CDC does not suggest that Rio visitors get the shot.

That does not change the fact that Brazil will not let you into the country if you don't have the vaccine. It's their country and their rules. Brazil does not care what the CDC says. The Brazilian Health Ministry does not want to risk the chance that an unvaccinated tourist will get the disease and spread it to others in Brazil.

As for going for one day, nothing stops a tourist after clearing customs from changing his mind and staying a couple of extra days to go to Iguazu or Manaus where they can get infected. Customs agents are not mind readers. They don't have the time to quiz each passenger as to his intentions or as to the cities he visited in other countries. They are not going to guess whether the passenger might change his plans or whether he is lying about fututre plans. The only chance to control the entry of unvaccinated people is at customs. And that is the job of the customs agents. And the worst thing anyone can do is get into an argument with a customs agent - in any country.

It doesn't matter whether it makes sense or not. Brazil will not let anyone in without a YF vaccination or a medical waiver, even for one day. Even if you go from the airport to the ship, or viceversa, you need a visa and you will go through customs. So the choice is, do you want to go to Brazil or not?

Maraul:

You make excellent points! I agree with every thing you wrote in the last post (except that I don't know if Brazil requires a YF shot for UDM1).

But, I don't think that the policy of requiring vaccination of a person that has little risk of having or spreading Yellow Fever is in that person's best *medical* interest.

I think that if UDM1 avoids the Yellow Fever Endemic areas and uses mosquito repellants he/she will be better off medically than by getting an unnecessary Yellow Fever vaccination.

Here's a question for UDM1: Did you get a visa yet? Did the Brazillian Visa issueing group mention anything about YF vaccinations? What does your cruise line say?

My cruise goes to Brazil first, before any countries that have YF endemic areas. Our cruise does not go to any YF endemic areas. Costa Rica requires visitors that have been to some of the countries that my cruise will go to have Yellow Fever vaccinations. I have decided that one day in Costa Rica is not worth the $300 that the vaccine costs. If they stop us from getting off the ship we can still have a very nice day.

Please don't think that I am one of those anti-vaccine whackos! Vaccines have been one of the major factors in reducing childhood morbidity and mortality as well as increasing the quality and length of life. But, I do agree with the CDC that this vaccine should be used only when necessary.

My cruise goes to Brazil first, before any countries that have YF endemic areas. Our cruise does not go to any YF endemic areas. Costa Rica requires visitors that have been to some of the countries that my cruise will go to have Yellow Fever vaccinations. I have decided that one day in Costa Rica is not worth the $300 that the vaccine costs.

 

If they stop us from getting off the ship we can still have a very nice day.

But what if they stop you from getting on the ship?

We're on a 38-day HAL cruise that starts in Brazil, goes around the Horn, continues to Costa Rica & onwards to Seattle. It can be purchased in 2 segments - either starting in Rio or starting 16 days later in Valparaiso. The HAL website clearly shows that vaccination is required (shown as VC) at either port of embarkation of this cruise. I'd check with your cruiseline to see what their boarding requirements are before making a final decision on the YF shot.

A few clarifications:

Brazil DOES NOT REQUIRE a YF vaccination IF you have not been in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Columbia, Venezuela, Panama, a couple of other Central American countries and most of Africa 90 days prior to entering Brazil. It is NOT required to enter the country OR get a visa unless you fall into the category above.

HOWEVER, if you are cruising on one of the repo cruises that goes down the WEST Coast of SA and THEN enter Brazil (and you have stopped in Ecuador and/or Peru) you MUST have the YF vaccination to get the Brazilian visa AND enter Brazil.

Peru considers ANYTHING less than about 7500 feet in elevation an ENDEMIC area. Which means Lima (Callao).

Ecuador-the same thing.

Uruguay, which is on a lot of cruise itineraries, is now REQUIRING YF if you arrive from Brazil.

IF for some reason, you MEDICALLY CANNOT have the vaccination, you can get a letter from your Doctor exempting you. The SPECIFIC reason MUST be stated in the Doctor's letter and it MUST be on Doctor's letterhead. You MUST then take that letter to your local health dept (who is in charge of YF vaccination in the USA). The local health dept will then give you a waiver certificate which looks approximately like the yellow (color) vaccination card with the Doctor's letter attached AND the health dept stamp on the card. The waiver card is as valid as the vaccination record.

I spend quite a bit of time in SA (especially Chile and Peru) for business purposes. This question has come up in various business meetings a lot recently. I have a couple of business associates (USA produce and wine buyers) who have run into this VERY problem since the YF outbreak in Brazil/Paraguay late winter/Spring 2008. One was denied entry into Uruguay AFTER he had flown to Brazil (DIRECT from the USA), taken care of his business there and then went to Uruguay to buy wine. He was sent BACK to Brazil to get a YF vaccination. There was no vaccine available for a USA citizen. He ended up flying to Chile and with the help of the Del Monte office in Santiago, he was able to get the vaccination, certificate and THEN fly back to Uruguay to get his wine purchased and shipped. All at the cost of an extra $1300.00 + the vaccination cost.

My other business associate was denied a Brazilian visa when they saw the stamps from Venezuela and Columbia in his passport. He had been at the same business conference in Bogota we all had been at. The closest to the jungle he got was a bar that was decorated like a tropical island. BUT, Brazil sent the passport back with instructions that he needed to send in the YF cert BEFORE they would issue the visa.

Please rethink your position. Have you even checked with the cruise line about a YF vaccination???? Costa Rica is VERY upfront about MANDATORY YF IF you have been in certain countries. I just find it hard to believe that a cruise line would even take the chance of allowing passengers to BOARD the ship KNOWING YF is REQUIRED for Costa Rica when coming from Peru, Ecuador and Brazil.

It will not be a matter of merely staying on the ship. In port, you are IN THE COUNTRY and immigration officers will enter the ship to stamp/check passports. You may not even be allowed to BOARD the ship. If you don''t want the vaccination, just get a waiver letter from your Doctor.

Monocacy,

you are right that it might not be in a given person's best medical interest to get the vaccine. I'm not questioning your reasoning. However, have you checked with your cruise line? If you start in Brazil that means you will be flying there to get on your ship. Brazil will not let you in without a visa and they will not give you a visa if you don't have a vaccination or a waiver. If your cruise starts in some other country and then goes to Brazil, you will not be allowed to disembark in any Brazilian port. What's more, the cruise line will require you to have the visa (and vaccination) whether you promise not to disembark or not.

People who only go to Argentina and visit Iguazu are not allowed to cross to the Brazilian side without a Brazilian visa and the required vaccination.

In short, whether it makes medical sense or not, there might be no practical way for you to avoid getting the vaccination. You will be obliged to have it if you want to take your cruise.

Good luck,

M

Hello,

we are from Germany and a bit confused after we read all the posts in this board about yellow fever and if the vaccination is needed or not.

RCCL in Germany told us we don't need the vaccination and the doctor told us the same - but of course we don't want to have problems with a customs officer.

We are on the RCCL Radiance cruise starting on December, 7th.

The itinerary is: Buenos Aires, Argentinia - Montevideo, Uruguay - Puerto Madryn, Argentinia - Punta Arenas, Chile - Ushuaia, Argentinia, - Cape Horn, Chile - Punta Del Este, Uruguay, - Imbituba, Brazil - Portobelo, Brazil - Sao Paulo, Brazil

Before the cruise we stay in Buenos Aires and after the cruise in Sao Paulo. We make no excursions to Yellow Fever Endemic areas.

Is there a chance that we get a problem without the vaccination?

Thank you very much for your help and advice in advance.

Who is correct?

GREATAM: "Brazil DOES NOT REQUIRE a YF vaccination IF you have not been in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Columbia, Venezuela, Panama, a couple of other Central American countries and most of Africa 90 days prior to entering Brazil."

or

MARAZUL: "Brazil will not let you in without a visa and they will not give you a visa if you don't have a vaccination or a waiver."

Greatam, of course. Here is the quote from the Brazilian consulate in Miami's website:

International Vaccination Certificate

Applicants who have visited any of the countries listed below within the previous 90 days, must present a Yellow Fever International Certificate upon entering Brazil.

Angola, Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenia, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Surinam, Tanzania, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Venezuela.

Yellow fever vaccination is recommended if applicant intends to visit one of the following regions in Brazil:

Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Federal District, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima, Tocantins.

Note: I underlined the countries in the Americas.

From the Brazilian consulate in NY:

For travelers six months of age and older, Brazil’s Ministry of Health strongly recommends a Yellow Fever vaccination at least 10 days prior to arrival to the following regions: all the states of the Northern Midwestern regions and Maranhão and Minas Gerais, the regions southwest of Piauí, west of Bahia, west of Parana, west of Santa Catarina, northwest of Rio Grande do Sul and northwest of São Paulo.

However, after having been to Brazil, you may be required to have the YF vaccine by other countries in your itinerary. Do both a google search for each country's consulate and ask your cruise line. As greatam says, you may be denied boarding if you don't have all the correct documents.

Same info from the Consulates in Los Angeles and San Francisco

http://www.brazilian-consulate.org/files.php?id=5

http://www.brazilsf.org/visa_faq_eng.htm#18

Please NOTE the info about the medical waiver from the Los Angeles consulate. It is incomplete. You MUST take your YF Waiver letter to the local health dept. They will give you the waiver card, signed and stamped with the health dept seal. That is the ONLY legally acceptable proof for ALL countries for the waiver.

"Waiver Letters from Physicians

A physician’s letter clearly stating the contraindications to vaccination is acceptable to some governments. Ideally, it should be written on letterhead stationery and bear the stamp used by health department and official immunization centers to validate the ICVP.

The certificate you will get from the Health Dept is called the "Medical Contraindication to Vaccination".

Hello,

 

we are from Germany and a bit confused after we read all the posts in this board about yellow fever and if the vaccination is needed or not.

 

RCCL in Germany told us we don't need the vaccination and the doctor told us the same - but of course we don't want to have problems with a customs officer.

 

We are on the RCCL Radiance cruise starting on December, 7th.

 

The itinerary is: Buenos Aires, Argentinia - Montevideo, Uruguay - Puerto Madryn, Argentinia - Punta Arenas, Chile - Ushuaia, Argentinia, - Cape Horn, Chile - Punta Del Este, Uruguay, - Imbituba, Brazil - Portobelo, Brazil - Sao Paulo, Brazil

 

Before the cruise we stay in Buenos Aires and after the cruise in Sao Paulo. We make no excursions to Yellow Fever Endemic areas.

 

Is there a chance that we get a problem without the vaccination?

 

Thank you very much for your help and advice in advance.

You will be fine WITHOUT the vaccination FOR THIS TRIP. You journey into Brazil is the LAST place you will visit.

You MAY have problems in the future visiting various countries-specifically SE Asia, Panama, Costa Rica, and some SA countries. IF an immigration officer in one of these countries notices the Brazilian visa (and how can they not-it takes a whole page), they MAY ask for a Yellow Fever cert. I have personally seen it happen in Peru, Panama, China and Vietnam/Cambodia. You don't want to have to argue what is an "endemic" area with an immigration officer in a foreign country who most likely does not speak your language fluently. It is truly up to their discretion whether they allow entrance or not, where or what is considered an endemic area and then determine whether you were in the endemic area.

To prevent FUTURE problems, unless you have a medical reason NOT to get the shot, just get it and be done with it. It is good for 10 years. It would be a shame to be denied entry into another country when you "only went to Rio". Don't think it can't happen-I saw it with a fellow plane passenger in China.