Vacs for yellow fever??

[dcruisers]

On RCL board read about concerns of Yellow fever in Columbia and the need to have vaccinations for it. Some have posted that they don't plan on getting off at this port. Anyone else read about this or have concerns?

We leave next Monday for our 11 day Panama/Caribbean cruise with a stop in Cartegena on Jan 7. We have booked a tour with Claudia with no mention of an outbreak of yellow fever. Too late for us to get shots....would like to hear from others who have been there recently or plan on going soon. Your thoughts/information is appreciated.

[tmitchell82]

We stopped in Cartagena on our Panama canal cruise earlier this year and no mention of the need for yellow fever vaccination. Maybe if you were going deep into Columbia, you might need it, but not in the city on a brief stop. Not sure if yellow fever is one shot or a series. I got vaccinated for it in the Army (along with a bunch of other odd things) and I thought it was more than one shot, but maybe that was for some other weird thing. No one we meet on the cruise had gotten the yellow fever vaccine.

 

We were very impressed with Cartagena. There are old parts and very modern parts. I had not expected to see such a modern skyline. We had a tour through Lee Miles and loved it. Definitely go up to the monestary. It was also pretty warm in Columbia so plan accordingly and bring water.

 

Enjoy the cruise!!!!

 

Tim

[GTJ]

Yellow fever is usually a single dose. It probably doesn't matter if one leaves the vessel or not . . . the disease is carried by mosquitoes, an insect that, if in the vicinity of the vessel, can readily fly onto the vessel. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention list only Bogotá, Cali, or Medellín as being a lower risk for which travelers may want to consider forgoing immunization. While the CDC says that there is no malaria in Cartagena, it makes no statement regarding the lack of yellow fever there. Many countries require yellow fever immunization as a condition for entry after having visited Colombia, but since passports are generally not stamped, it would be rather easy to evade compliance with those entry requirements. Playing the statistics, it is more likely than not that any individual person will not develop yellow fever, even without being immunized. But should one be attacked by a mosquito with the disease, do keep in mind that there is no cure. Even so, only 5 to 10 percent of people that contract yellow fever will die.

 

We visited Cartagena in 2008. We did get yellow fever immunization (in part because we were also going through Panama, another location for the disease). We also used good insect repellent, so it was difficult to tell how someone without repellent may have fared against the mosquitoes.

[terryde]

So I am not seeing still if it is required. One post on a previous thread said they wouldn't even let you join the cruise if you hadn't had it! Did that really happen? We didn't hear anything at all about it until I read the fine print of the RCCL docs over the holidays, so of course we didn't have them. May try to email customer service with RCCL, before we sail next Fri the 14th!

[terryde]

So I did a live chat with RCCL and they said at this time they are not requiring it at the pier. They suggested I check with the CDC.

[Host Caroline]

Have been on two cruises that stopped in Panama and Cartagena and not once did we need or get a yellow fever vaccination... I believe this is more for folks who would be vacationing there, out from the city etc.

[globalwife]

I've been traveling in and out of Colombia for over three years now (cruise travel included) and have never been asked to show my vaccination record even though I do have it.

[GTJ]

So I am not seeing still if it is required.

Colombia does not require yellow fever vaccination. Several other countries do require yellow fever vaccination after having visited Colombia. The United States is not one of those countries. Should the itinerary of the cruise include other countries after have stopped in Colombia, those other countries have the right to impose restrictions. In theory at least, those other countries could require passengers alighting show proof of yellow fever vaccination (though I've never observed such actually being enforced). Presumably, were that situation to arise, the cruise line itself might not board passengers at the origin of the cruise those passengers who do not meet those immigration requirements (but again, I have not heard of that ever being enforced with respect to yellow fever vaccination).

 

Bottom line: The cruise line should be able to tell you if yellow fever vaccination is a requirement (and the answer will probably be "no"). The decision on whether or not to have yourself vaccinated will likely be a personal one, hopefully made in consultation with a competent medical advisor, balancing the benefits of vaccination against the likelihood of contracting the disease and the cost or other inconveniences of vaccination.

[Cruiser 4 Life 66]

So I am not seeing still if it is required. One post on a previous thread said they wouldn't even let you join the cruise if you hadn't had it! Did that really happen? We didn't hear anything at all about it until I read the fine print of the RCCL docs over the holidays, so of course we didn't have them. May try to email customer service with RCCL, before we sail next Fri the 14th!

 

It is NOT required.

[moknits]

It looks to me like it's recommended, not required. At least on the CDC website.

CDC yellow fever vaccination recommendation for travelers to Colombia: For all travelers ≥9 months of age. Travelers whose itinerary is limited to the cities of Bogotá, Cali, or Medellín are at lower risk and may consider foregoing vaccination. Vaccination should be given 10 days before travel and at 10 year intervals if there is on-going risk.

I was surprised that Cartagena wasn't one of those listed cities. On one hand, we'll only be there during daytime hours and mostly stay in the city, on the other hand, better safe than sorry?

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/colombia.aspx

[Mrs.Right]

Colombia does not require yellow fever vaccination. Several other countries do require yellow fever vaccination after having visited Colombia.

 

Per my reading of the CDC regs, Costa Rico was one of the countries requiring Yellow Fever vaccination if you had been to Columbia prior.

 

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2010/chapter-2/yellow-fever-vaccine-requirements-and-recommendations/CostaRica.aspx

 

I got it but never needed to show proof. My sister in law did not and was not asked. I suspect that unless something changes at the last minute (ie: outbreak) cruisers are in a different category of traveler than say a land based vacation. With that said, since passports are no longer stamped, who can really tell who has been anywhere without access to super secret squirrel security data bases?

 

Barbara

[Ozzicruiser1]

We were in Cartagena and Puerto Limon (Costa Rica) in December 2010 (on Celebrity Constellation). We did not need to provide proof of the Yellor Fever Vaccine. No one checks - you don't even need your passport to get off the ship.

[Cruiser 4 Life 66]

Per my reading of the CDC regs, Costa Rico was one of the countries requiring Yellow Fever vaccination if you had been to Columbia prior.

 

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2010/chapter-2/yellow-fever-vaccine-requirements-and-recommendations/CostaRica.aspx

 

I got it but never needed to show proof. My sister in law did not and was not asked. I suspect that unless something changes at the last minute (ie: outbreak) cruisers are in a different category of traveler than say a land based vacation. With that said, since passports are no longer stamped, who can really tell who has been anywhere without access to super secret squirrel security data bases?

 

Barbara

 

I went on a cruise to to Colombia and then Costa Rica and no one asked/checked/cared.

[terryde]

It wasn't required this January. No-one even discusses it. I was worried before we sailed Jan 14 and asked RCCL the questions. They told me on the phone that if they needed it, they would let you know before you sail and not surprise you at the pier.