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Comprehensive
Yellow Fever Vaccination Requirements
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Please see the Destinations
section for recommendations for specific countries.
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Yellow fever is a viral disease found in parts of Africa and South
America. It is transmitted to humans by a mosquito bite. Even though there is
no risk of becoming infected while traveling in countries outside of tropical South America or
sub-Saharan Africa (i.e., Central,
East, Southern, and West), certain
countries REQUIRE a yellow fever vaccination. Some countries require
a Yellow Fever Vaccination for all travelers, while others require
only a vaccination if a traveler is coming FROM either areas
infected with yellow fever or areas where yellow fever transmission has
occurred (called “endemic” areas). The endemic areas are found in
tropical South America and Africa. For the current list of yellow fever
infected countries, read “Summary
of Health Information for International Travel” (the “Blue Sheet”).
In general, if you are traveling only from the United States to
countries in Europe (Western
or Eastern), North Africa, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, East or Southeast Asia, Australia and the South Pacific,
the Caribbean, most of Central America, or temperate South America, CDC
does not recommend and you are not required to have a yellow fever
vaccination.
However, if your travel plans include traveling to or from a South
American or African country that is infected with yellow fever or
is located in areas where yellow fever transmission has occurred (endemic
areas), then the easiest and safest thing to do is to get a yellow fever
vaccination and a signed certificate. Be aware, the age
requirements for vaccination can vary from country to country. Be sure to
read the Yellow Fever Certificate
information below, the instructions,
and the country-by-country requirements on this page.
Yellow fever vaccination, a 1-dose shot, may be administered to adults and
to children over 9 months of age. This vaccine is administered only at
designated yellow fever centers, usually your local health department. If at
continued risk, a booster is needed every 10 years.
MEDICAL REASONS NOT TO RECEIVE THE VACCINE:
- Infants under 4
months must not be immunized.
- Persons severely
allergic to eggs should not be given the vaccine. Generally, persons
able to eat eggs or egg products can safely receive the vaccine.
- It is prudent on
theoretical grounds to avoid vaccinating pregnant women,
and for non-immunized pregnant
women to postpone travel to epidemic areas until after delivery. (Pregnant women who must
travel to high-risk areas should be vaccinated.)
- In general, persons whose immune
systems are suppressed (due to HIV infection or other
conditions), persons who are undergoing treatments for cancers (e.g.,
leukemia and lymphoma), or persons being treated with corticosteroids,
alkylating drugs, antimetabolites, or radiation should not be vaccinated
unless traveling to an area of known yellow fever transmission. (Patients with
suppressed immune systems have a theoretical risk of encephalitis
due to the yellow fever vaccine virus.)
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Yellow Fever Certificate
After immunization, an International Certificate of Vaccination is issued
and is valid 10 days after vaccination to meet entry and exit requirements
for all countries. The Certificate is good for 10 years. You must take the
Certificate with you. Travelers who have a medical reason not to receive
the yellow fever vaccine should obtain a medical waiver. Most countries
will accept a medical waiver for persons with a medical reason not to
receive the vaccine. When required, CDC recommends obtaining written
waivers from consular or embassy officials before departure. A physician’s
letter clearly stating the medical reason not to receive the vaccine might
be acceptable to some governments. It should be written on letterhead
stationery and bear the stamp used by a health department or official
immunization center to validate the International Certificate of
Vaccination. Check embassies or consulates for specific waiver
requirements.
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INSTRUCTIONS: Listed next to each country are the Yellow Fever
recommendation and requirement codes, which are explained at the bottom of
the pages. The explanations are listed in order of broadest requirements
(those that apply to most travelers) to the narrower requirements (fewer
people are likely to be in this category). A dash (–) indicates no
vaccination is required or recommended. Age requirements are the 4th
column and refer to the age at which vaccination is required: >1y =
greater than 1 year; >6m or >9m = greater than 6 or 9 months; >0 =
the age requirement is at the country’s discretion, and vaccination could be
required as young as birth. If you are traveling with infants and
young children, check with embassies and consulates for their specific
requirements, and then consult with your doctor.
Tropical South America Bolivia 2 X R >0 Brazil 2 X R >6m Colombia X R Ecuador 2 X >1y French 1 X >1y Guiana Guyana 2 X SE >0 Paraguay X R Peru 2 X R >6m Suriname 2 X >0 Venezuela X Temperate South America Argentina X S Chile - Falkland Is.(U.K.) - Uruguay - Central America Belize 2 >0 Costa Rica - El Salvador 2 >6m Guatemala 3 >1y Honduras 2 >0 Mexico 2 >6m Nicaragua 2 >1y Panama X R East Asia China 2 Hong Kong - Japan - Korea, - Republic Korea, - Democratic Macao - Mongolia - Taiwan 2 |
Caribbean And West Indies Antigua & Barbuda 2 >1y Bahamas 2 >1y Barbados 2 >1y Bermuda- (U.K.) Cayman Is. - (U.K.) Cuba - Dominica 2 >1y Dominican - Republic Grenada 2 >1y Guadeloupe 2 >1y Haiti 2 >0 Jamaica 2 >1y Martinique 2 >1y (France) Montserrat 2 >1y (U.K.) Netherlands 2 >6m Antilles Puerto Rico - (U.S.) Saint Lucia 2 >1y St. Vincent 2 >1y & the Grenadines St. Kitts 2 >1y & Nevis Trinidad 2 X >1y & Tobago Virgin - Islands, U.S. Virgin - Islands, U.K. Southeast Asia Brunei 2 E >1y Darussalam Cambodia 2 >0 Indonesia 2 E >0 Laos 2 >0 Malaysia 2 E >1y Myanmar 2 S >0 Philippines 2 >1y Singapore 3 E >1y Thailand 2 E >1y Vietnam 2 >1y |
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X = Yellow fever vaccination recommended by CDC for
travelers (>9 months) going outside urban areas.
1 = Vaccination and Certificate required for all travelers. For age
requirements, see instructions
above.
E = Vaccination and Certificate required for travelers arriving from
a yellow fever endemic country. (See the list of Yellow Fever Endemic
Countries below.)
S = Special requirements/recommendations, see Special Requirements
below.
3 = Vaccination and Certificate required for travelers arriving from a
country any part of which is infected with yellow fever (as
listed on the biweekly “Summary
of Health Information for International Travel” [the “Blue Sheet”]).
2 = Vaccination and Certificate required for travelers arriving from infected
areas in countries currently infected with yellow fever (as listed on
the biweekly “Summary of
Health Information for International Travel” [the “Blue Sheet”]).
R = A yellow fever vaccination is recommended for travel to a
specific destination in a country.
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SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: Argentina: Risk in
northeastern forest areas only. Bolivia: Guyana: Certificate
is also required for travelers from Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and
Nicaragua. Paraguay: Certificate only required for travelers leaving
Paraguay destined to endemic countries.
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North Africa Algeria 2 >1y Canary - Islands Egypt 2 SE >1y Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 2 >1y Morocco - Tunisia 2 >1y Southern Africa Botswana - Lesotho 2 >0 Namibia 2 SE >1y South 2 E >0 Africa St. Helena - Swaziland 2 >0 Zimbabwe 2 >0 Central Africa Angola 2 X >1y Cameroon 1 X >1y Central 1 X >1y African Republic Chad X S >1y Congo 1 X >1y Equatorial 2 X >0 Guinea Gabon 1 X >1y Sudan 2 X SE >1y Zaire 1 X >1y Zambia - X |
West Africa Benin 1 X >1y Burkina Faso 1 X >1y Cape Verde 2 S >1y Islands Cote d'lvoire 1 X >1y Gambia 2 X E >1y Ghana 1 X >0 Guinea 2 X >1y Guinea-Bissau 2 X E >1y Liberia 1 X >1y Mali 1 X >1y Mauritania 1 S >1y Niger 1 X S >1y Nigeria 2 X >1y Sao Tome/ 1 S >1y Principe Senegal 1 X >1y Sierra Leone 2 X >0 Togo 1 X >1y East Africa Burundi 2 X >1y Comoros - Djibouti 2 >1y Eritrea 2 X Ethiopia 2 X >1y Kenya 2 X >1y Madagascar 2 S >0 Malawi 2 >0 Mauritius 2 E >1y Mayotte - Mozambique 2 >1y Reunion 2 >1y Rwanda 1 X >1y Seychelles 2 SE >1y Somalia 2 >0 Tanzania 2 X E >1y Uganda 2 X E >1y |
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X = Yellow fever vaccination recommended by CDC for
travelers (>9 months) going outside urban areas.
1 = Vaccination and Certificate required for all travelers. For age
requirements, see instructions
above.
E = Vaccination and Certificate required for travelers arriving from
a yellow fever endemic country. (See the list of Yellow Fever Endemic
Countries below.)
S = Special requirements/recommendations, see Special Requirements
below.
3 = Vaccination and Certificate required for travelers arriving from a
country any part of which is infected with yellow fever (as
listed on the biweekly “Summary
of Health Information for International Travel” [the “Blue Sheet”]).
2 = Vaccination and Certificate required for travelers arriving from infected
areas in countries currently infected with yellow fever (as listed on
the biweekly “Summary of
Health Information for International Travel” [the “Blue Sheet”]).
R = A yellow fever vaccination is recommended for travel to a
specific destination in a country.
>1y, >9m, >6m, >0 = Age requirements - see instructions above.
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SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS/RECOMMENDATIONS: Egypt:
Add Botswana and Malawi, plus Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras,
Nicaragua, Trinidad, and Tobago to endemic list. Travelers in transit
without certificate are detained in airport precincts. Mauritania
and Sao Tome/Principe: No certificate required if arriving from
non-infected country and staying 2 weeks. Namibia: Required for all
unscheduled air flights. A certificate is required ALSO from travelers
arriving from countries in the endemic zones (see the list of Yellow Fever Endemic
Countries below). A certificate is required ALSO from travelers on
unscheduled flights, who have transited an infected area. Children under
one year of age may be subject to surveillance. Niger: recommends
vaccination for travelers leaving the country. Seychelles: Certificate
required from travelers within the preceding 6 days transited through an
endemic area. Sudan: Certificate may be required from
travelers leaving Sudan.
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Indian Subcontinent Afghanistan 2 >0 Bangladesh 3 SE >0 Bhutan 2 >0 India 3 SE >0 Maldives 2 >0 Nepal 2 >0 Pakistan 3 SE >0 Sri Lanka 2 >1y Middle East Bahrain 2 >1y Cyprus - Iran 2 E >1y Iraq 2 Israel - Jordan E >0 Kuwait - Lebanon 2 >0 Oman 2 >0 Qatar 2 >1y Saudi 3 >0 Arabia Syrian 2 >0 Arab Republic Turkey - United Arab - Emirates Yemen 2 >1y |
Australia & South Pacific Islands Australia 3 >1y American 2 >1y Samoa Christmas 3 >1y Island Cook Island - Fiji 2 >1y French 2 >1y Polynesia
(Tahiti)
Guam - Kiribati 2 >1y Nauru 2 >1y Marshall - Islands Micronesia - (Fed. States of) New Caledonia 2 >1y New Zealand - Niue 2 >1y Northern - Mariana Islands Papua New 2 >1y Guinea Pitcairn 2 >1y Samoa 2 >1y Solomon 2 >0 Islands Tonga 2 >1y Tuvalu - U.S. Trust - Terr. of the Pacific Islands Vanuatu - Wake Island - North America Canada - St. Pierre - and Miquelon United States - |
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X = Yellow fever vaccination recommended by CDC for
travelers (>9 months) going outside urban areas.
1 = Vaccination and Certificate required for all travelers. For age
requirements, see instructions
above.
E = Vaccination and Certificate required for travelers arriving from
a yellow fever endemic country. (See the list of Yellow Fever Endemic
Countries below.)
S = Special requirements/recommendations, see Special Requirements
below.
3 = Vaccination and Certificate required for travelers arriving from a
country any part of which is infected with yellow fever (as
listed on the biweekly “Summary
of Health Information for International Travel” [the “Blue Sheet”]).
2 = Vaccination and Certificate required for travelers arriving from infected
areas in countries currently infected with yellow fever (as listed on
the biweekly “Summary of
Health Information for International Travel” [the “Blue Sheet”]).
R = A yellow fever vaccination is recommended for travel to a
specific destination in a country.
>1y, >9m, >6m, >0 = Age Requirements - see instructions above.
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SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: Bangladesh: Add Belize,
Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Trinidad, and Tobago to endemic
list. India: Add Trinidad and Tobago to endemic list. Madagascar:
Also includes transiting travelers.
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Eastern Europe Albania 2 >1y Armenia - Azerbaijan- Belarus - Bosnia/ - Herzegovina Bulgaria - Croatia - Czech - Republic Estonia - Georgia - Hungary - Kazakhstan - Kyrgyzstan - Latvia - Lithuania - Moldova - Poland - Romania - Russia - Serbia/ - Montenegro Slovak - Republic Slovenia - Tajikistan - Turkmenistan - Ukraine - Uzbekistan - |
Western Europe Andorra - Austria - Azores 2 S >1y Belgium - Denmark - Faroe - Island Finland - France - Germany - Gibraltar - Greece 2 >6m Greenland - Iceland - Ireland - Italy - Liechtenstein - Luxembourg - Madeira 2 S >1y Malta 2 S >9m Monaco - Netherlands - Norway - Portugal S >1y San Marino - Spain - Sweden - Switzerland - United - Kingdom |
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X = Yellow fever vaccination recommended by CDC for
travelers (>9 months) going outside urban areas.
1 = Vaccination and Certificate required for all travelers. For age
requirements, see instructions
above.
E = Vaccination and Certificate required for travelers arriving from
a yellow fever endemic country. (See the list of Yellow Fever Endemic
Countries below.)
S = Special requirements/recommendations, see Special Requirements
below.
3 = Vaccination and Certificate required for travelers arriving from a
country any part of which is infected with yellow fever (as
listed on the biweekly “Summary
of Health Information for International Travel” [the “Blue Sheet”]).
2 = Vaccination and Certificate required for travelers arriving from infected
areas in countries currently infected with yellow fever (as listed on
the biweekly “Summary of
Health Information for International Travel” [the “Blue Sheet”]).
R = A yellow fever vaccination is recommended for travel to a
specific destination in a country.
>1y, >9m, >6m, >0 = Age Requirements - see instructions above.
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SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: Azores: Except no
certificate required from travelers in transit at Santa Maria. Portugal:
Certificate required only for travelers in transit to the Azores and
Madeira from an infected county. However, no certificate is required from
passengers in transit at Funchal, Porto Santo, and Santa Maria.
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Yellow Fever
Endemic Countries
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Countries in
Africa
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Countries in
South America
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Angola
Benin
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Chad
Congo
Cote d'Ivoire
Djibouti
Equatorial Guinea
Ethiopia
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Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Kenya
Liberia
Mali
Mauritania
Niger
Nigeria
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Rwanda
Sao Tome & Principe
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Somalia
Sudan
Tanzania
Togo
Uganda
Zaire
Zambia
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Bolivia
Brazil
Colombia
Ecuador
French Guiana
Guyana
Panama
Peru
Suriname
Venezuela
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For more information on yellow fever see the Diseases
section and the following links:
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