Is The Yellow Fever Vaccine Mandatory?

Holidays are always fun!

After all, who doesn’t like to spend quality time with their loved ones?

So, you’re planning an exotic getaway with your family and looking forward to making some beautiful, cherishable memories. The least you could ever imagine is seeing your loved one falling sick or getting infected with a disease during a trip. This is why it is important to visit the nearest travel clinic in your area a few weeks before boarding. Depending on your holiday destination, your doctor will recommend the right vaccine to you and offer you guidelines to stay protected throughout the trip.

However, if you’re visiting any countries in South America and East Africa, then getting a yellow fever vaccine or shots is important. When it comes to yellow fever vaccination, it is mandatory to receive the injection at least 10 days before traveling to a yellow fever endemic area.

Before you visit a travel clinic in NYC to receive a yellow fever shot, here’s what you need to know!

How to find out whether you need a yellow fever vaccine or not?

One of the important tasks before traveling to a foreign country is visiting a travel clinic. Depending on your holiday destination and your history of vaccination, your healthcare provider will tell you whether you need yellow fever shots or not.

Who is not eligible for the yellow fever vaccine?

Well, most healthy people are the right candidate to receive the yellow fever vaccine. However, there are a few people who are not medically eligible for this vaccine, such as:

• Pregnant women 
• Infants less than age 9 months
• Any person who is allergic to chicken, eggs, or products of egg and chicken
• People with suppressed immune systems. This includes people who have blood cancer, AIDS, and receiving cancer radiotherapy or chemotherapy. 

What to do if you’re not medically eligible for a yellow fever vaccine, but requires you to visit a country prone to yellow fever?

In such a case, you will need a letter of Medical Waiver from a certified yellow fever vaccine provider. However, it is advisable to confirm with the concerned embassy before your departure.

To wind up
Please remember, the yellow fever vaccine is mandatory if traveling to any yellow fever prone countries. In fact, in some countries, you’re required to show your yellow fever vaccine certificate at the airport to make an entry.

Read More

Traveling to Mexico? - Things you Need to Know

Every year millions of people travel to Mexico to spend their holidays with their families or friends. With exciting offers by airlines and travel companies, especially during the winter season, people get attracted to enjoy their vacations doing various types of adventures. In the course planning and executing, most people forget to visit travel clinics to get themselves immunized against common diseases of the place they’re traveling.

Although Mexico is an amazing country with lots of popular destinations and adventurous spots, you need to have proper information about the place to ensure that your trip is safe and healthy. Before you head up to, Mexico, here the things you need to know.

Travel shots needed while traveling to Mexico - Although Mexico is a quite developed country, the individuals are recommended to get a vaccination against certain diseases. Some of them are as following:

• Hepatitis A 
• Hepatitis B 
• Cholera 
• Influenza 
• Rabies 
• Measles, Mumps and Rubella 

Is drinking water in Mexico safe?

Yes of course, you can drink water in Mexico, but not tap water. The tap water can be unhealthy and dangerous. Make sure you boil it. Also, wash fruits, vegetables, and other eatables properly with clean water.

Things to avoid eating in Mexico

If you’re planning a trip to Mexico, make sure you avoid raw food of all kinds. Stay away from street food and less reputable restaurants because they may use unwashed utensils or improperly prepared foods. By getting yourself immunized with hepatitis A and cholera, you can prevent yourself from stomach infections that can occur from eating contaminated foods.

Is there a risk of malaria in Mexico?

As per the Health Canada reports, there is a risk of malaria in Mexico, but only during the specific time of the year and in certain areas. Malaria can be found in Chiapas, Chihuahua, Nayarit, Durango, and Sinaloa with some rare cases in Jalisco, Campeche, Oaxaca, Tabasco, and Sonora. Although antimalarials may be recommended to people traveling malaria-prone areas, preventative measures such as mosquitoes repellents are typically sufficient in regions with rare occurrences of the disease. There is no vaccine for such infections, however, repellents are the best way to prevent it.

Are you planning a trip to Mexico? Book your appointment with one of the best travel clinics to get travel shots in NY. Do you need travel shots? Contact us.

Read More