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.

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.)

Persons, whose immune systems are suppressed due to HIV infection, or those travelers undergoing treatments for cancers (leukemia, lymphoma, etc.), or receiving corticosteroids, alkylating drugs, antimetabolites, or radiation, in general, 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.)