Recent Experience of Yellow Fever vaccination OR Exemption

[Hamwen3839]

Question about recent experience  of need for Yellow Fever vaccination OR Exemption letter. We are cruising November 2024 West Coast of Africa ending in Capetown .Advice is conflicting but some countries say they require proof of YF vaccination OR Exemption letter .Due to our age apparently Vaccination is not recommended.

Wondering what procedure was for anyone who has recently done similar cruise .

[MicCanberra]

We were obviously younger and just had the vaccinations but we will need renewals next year as the 10 years are up. What is the age threshold for exemptions?

I would imagine a note or letter from a medical practitioner would cater for the exemption.

[cruiser3775]

The Australian government requirement for the vaccination only exists if you return to Australia within six days of being in a declared Yellow Fever area.  Not the whole country, just particular districts which have been declared. Here's the information:

https://immunisationhandbook.health.gov.au/contents/vaccine-preventable-diseases/yellow-fever

 

[Hamwen3839]

Apparently medical advice is that YF vaccination is not recommended for over 60’s ( risk out weighs slight chance of actually getting YF).

Cruising down West Coast of Africa is relatively new and am hoping to find Aussies who have done it recently and what their experience was as to acceptance of the Exemption letter for counties in West African region.

Not so worried about returning to Australia  , 

[cruiser3775]

I returned to Australia from Argentina without a YF vaccination.  It was the first question I was asked by the quarantine officials at the airport. As I had not been in one of Argentina's declared YF districts, like Iguazu, I was OK.  But you do need to worry about returning to Australia, because if it is within six days, you can  be quarantined at your own expense at the port of arrival.

If you don't get any answers here, maybe ask the question on some other countries' forums.

[Hamwen3839]

I have looked into requirement for returning to Australia and advice is that even if you do not have a Vaccination Certificate and have been to countries which have yellow fever,you will be allowed in and need to monitor symptoms . You do not have to be quarantined.

[Kristelle]

Ooh a topic I know something about, having worked in a clinic doing yellow fever vaccines.

 

Yellow fever vaccine is a live vaccine - not recomended for pregnant women or immunocompronised people. 

Also women breastfeeding infants under  9 months.

And infants under 9 months

And people over 60 - proceed with caution.

 

The time now is also not 10 years, it is life long - ie the certificate lasts for your lifetime and you do not need to get booster doses.

There are a few exceptions to this but most people will not need boosters. 

 

The link cruiser3775 gave is the up to date info for all vaccines - the online Australian Immunisation handbook is the ' bible' of vaccination info. 

[MicCanberra]

Sounds like we will not need boosters after all. 

[Jean C]

1 hour ago, Kristelle said:

Ooh a topic I know something about, having worked in a clinic doing yellow fever vaccines.

 

Yellow fever vaccine is a live vaccine - not recomended for pregnant women or immunocompronised people. 

Also women breastfeeding infants under  9 months.

And infants under 9 months

And people over 60 - proceed with caution.

 

The time now is also not 10 years, it is life long - ie the certificate lasts for your lifetime and you do not need to get booster doses.

There are a few exceptions to this but most people will not need boosters. 

 

The link cruiser3775 gave is the up to date info for all vaccines - the online Australian Immunisation handbook is the ' bible' of vaccination info. 

Good info, thank you. I had my YF vaccine way back in the [cough, cough] 70s, would that still be a lifelong vaccine? Just curious, not something I need at the moment though. 🤔

[MicCanberra]

n 2016, the World Health Organization extended the validity of the ICVP from 10 years to the life of the vaccinated person. This decision was based on evidence that a single dose of yellow fever vaccine protects most people for many decades.

[valantine80]

5 hours ago, Hamwen3839 said:

Question about recent experience  of need for Yellow Fever vaccination OR Exemption letter. We are cruising November 2024 West Coast of Africa ending in Capetown .Advice is conflicting but some countries say they require proof of YF vaccination OR Exemption letter .Due to our age apparently Vaccination is not recommended.

Wondering what procedure was for anyone who has recently done similar cruise .

I read this as asking re requirements for YF vaccinations for entry to countries down the West Coast of Africa, not for re entry to Australia.

[Hamwen3839]

That is correct. Wanting recent experiences of people going to countries on west coast of Africa and if they were ok for entry with a proper medical exemption for YF rather than a vaccination certificate.Were they even asked for anything when visiting from a cruise ship for a day.

I am OK with re entry to Australia.

[marquisite]

For the upcoming Royal Caribbean Ultimate World Cruise that will sail up the west coast of Africa (northbound), at an onboard meeting it was said that some of the countries will require the YFV to be allowed on shore (those with exemptions would stay onboard in places that do not recognise them). However, the exact countries were not disclosed. You may like to watch it yourself as someone kindly uploaded this meeting YouTube (10:23 to 11:06):

 

[arxcards]

From a good friend currently aboard Resilient Lady, there is no blanket requirement for a yellow fever jab. So far they have called in Durban & Port Elizabeth (medivac), with next port being Cape Town. These are coastal day visits, not days in the African jungle.

 

This could vary based on itinerary, but a void of information about vaccination requirements would suggest there are no entry requirements for it on cruise itineraries. It is a bit like advice here that requires a malaria vaccination to visit some of the Pacific Islands, yet are not a significant risk for day visiting cruise ship passengers.

 

All the same, check the fine print on your travel insurance. Also worth reading through roll calls for ships that are currently on this route:

QM2, Queen Victoria, Zuiderdam. It wasn't required for Island Princess passengers a few weeks back.

[roaming_kiwi58]

We had Yellow Fever jabs over 10 years ago, but have not been anywhere recently that required them, so no personal experience.

However, I have seen it reported in several places that South Africa are not recognising the "valid for life" yellow fever jabs.

This thread may be of interest, talking about vaccinations as well as visas, in particular South Africa's stand:

 

 

[MicCanberra]

Smartraveller also has health information for each country and the respective requirements.

[Hamwen3839]

2 hours ago, arxcards said:

From a good friend currently aboard Resilient Lady, there is no blanket requirement for a yellow fever jab. So far they have called in Durban & Port Elizabeth (medivac), with next port being Cape Town. These are coastal day visits, not days in the African jungle.

 

This could vary based on itinerary, but a void of information about vaccination requirements would suggest there are no entry requirements for it on cruise itineraries. It is a bit like advice here that requires a malaria vaccination to visit some of the Pacific Islands, yet are not a significant risk for day visiting cruise ship passengers.

 

All the same, check the fine print on your travel insurance. Also worth reading through roll calls for ships that are currently on this route:

QM2, Queen Victoria, Zuiderdam. It wasn't required for Island Princess passengers a few weeks back.

Thank you for going to the trouble of asking your friend. I could not find any mention of YF vaccinations or Exemptions on the other cruises you mentioned.

I was hoping to find just one Aussie who had RECENTLY done this cruise for up to date information.

However it seems to me that Exemptions are ok BUT it is up to each country whether they accept that . Worst case seems to be you would have to stay on board for that port.

I will wait for closer to sailing to try and get Regents most up to date advice.

Thanks everyone for your input.

[arxcards]

As a side note, it might be worth checking out for what is typical weather in Cape Town, particularly at this time of year. Both Resilient Lady & Zuiderdam are waiting it out off Cape Town, waiting for a blanket of fog to lift so they can dock. Resilient Lady is currently hoping to dock around 3.5hrs late.

[MicCanberra]

Wow, we will be there on 23 November 2025. Wonder if we will get to dock on schedule, really hard to tell this far out.

[arxcards]

12 hours ago, Hamwen3839 said:

Thank you for going to the trouble of asking your friend. I could not find any mention of YF vaccinations or Exemptions on the other cruises you mentioned.

I was hoping to find just one Aussie who had RECENTLY done this cruise for up to date information.

However it seems to me that Exemptions are ok BUT it is up to each country whether they accept that . Worst case seems to be you would have to stay on board for that port.

I will wait for closer to sailing to try and get Regents most up to date advice.

Thanks everyone for your input.

It would see the main issue is that there are countries that restrict your entry after you have visited one of the designated YF countries and/or areas. As an example, if you were planning on flying to India after visiting a YF affected area, you would need a vax certificate or wait 6 days - similar to Australian requirements mentioned above. 

 

For a cruise itinerary, you would need to identify if you are visiting any YF outbreak areas, and where your itinerary will take you in the following 6 days for any restrictions that apply for entry to those countries.

[arxcards]

1 minute ago, MicCanberra said:

Wow, we will be there on 23 November 2025. Wonder if we will get to dock on schedule, really hard to tell this far out.

Different time of year, but might be a consideration when trying to line-up a tour. If we were on one of those cruises, I expect Cape Town would be one of our big days. A bit like Mt Fuji for Japan or Mt McKinley for Denali, it would be a shame to not be able to see Table Mountain from the port.

[arxcards]

I only just noticed the timing of the message in my inbox. They are just moving towards the port now. Current Cape Town time is 1:09pm, so 6hrs late. Passengers on Virgin are hoping for an overnight in port, but not confirmed yet.

[MicCanberra]

That would affect many peoples plans

[arxcards]

10 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

That would affect many peoples plans

It has gone midnight in Cape Town and both Virgin & HAL ships are still in port. That makes it an overnighter, and hopefully they will get a few hours ashore for their Thursday as well.

 

They were lucky to get in at all. Docked by 2pm, but local webcams showed the port shrouded in fog again by 3:30pm. Currently, clear skies at midnight.

[MicCanberra]

I just hope we don't get all that next year, planes may not have been taking off either.