YELLOW FEVER CURRENT SITUATION
Replies: 17 - Last Post: Feb 23, 2013 3:14 PM Last Post By: nutraxfornerves
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YELLOW FEVER CURRENT SITUATION
HelloI will be travelling to Ethiopia in a couple of weeks. As a kidney transplanted patient, taking inmunosupressors, I just found out that I cannot get the yellow fever vaccination..I will be visiting Addis Abeba, Lalibela, Axum, Adigrat and Hawizien.
Does anyone know the current situation of yellow fever on those cities??? I had Bahir Dar and Gondar on my itinerary but I'll skip them since they're at a lower altitude.
Any information is welcome!
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Our resident "helper" Nutrax will hopefully clarify - but I think the closest report for YF was in Sudan during Oct/Nov last year. I have seen any reports during the last 5 years for YF in Ethiopia.You will need a letter from your doctor - certified by public health officials to confirm that you are unable to have the vaccination. Good luck and enjoy!
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Hy OrionI've got that letter from the vaccination center today, but what I want to know is how likely is to get yellow fever travelling to Ethiopia...I want to discover Ethiopia but I dont want to put my health on risk.
Thanks
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YF in traveler is very rare. There is some risk in Ethiopia, mostly in the eastern part of the country. If you are meticulous about preventing mosquito bites (which you should do for many reasons), you should greatly increase the chances of no running into YF.OK, that's a standard response. I did some checking and I can't find a report of someone getting YF in Ethiopia in the last several years.
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My problem is not about having or not a YF Vaccine certificate, but the likelihood of getting the disease in Ethiopia...I'm taking inmunosupressors which make my inmunesystem more vulnerable to get any disease...If I got the vaccine, I would inmideately devolep the YF and if I travel to Ethiopia with it, I'm afraid I could get it as well.That's my dilemma...I think at the end I will drop it and I'll go somewhere else. Plane tickets international and domestics non refundable. That's a shame! But I think health is frist.
Thank you, guys!
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there is no yellow fever in Ethiopia, I really do not see the worry, you will not develop itif it makes you more likely to get other diseases that is a whole other matter
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Ulibcn - its a pity that you have decided not to visit - my understanding its that its a fantastic place. From what I have read, and what has been posted here by knowledgeable people (inc Nutrax - apologies if I am mis-quoting) was to cover up at night (long sleeves, long trousers etc), use appropriate insect repellants and definitely sleep under a mosquito net large enough to cover your bed (even tuck in the ends and sides) - one that is impregnated with pyrethrum. So maybe have talk with your public health people and since you live in a country not far from the Central and South American YF countries they should be able to put most of your fears to rest. Regards8
Hello EverybodyThank you for your replies....I went to the tropical vaccination center here and they told me that Ethiopia is not the country that report more cases in Africa but that that sometimes not all the cases are reported....They told me that they cannot tell me not to go but that I could do it under my own risk.
I have bought repllents and I could buy a mosquito net to carry it with me during the trip. What do you guys think??? I'm supposed to travel this coming Friday 3rd.
I have thought that I could skip Bahir Dar and Gondar siince they're at a lower altitude...So, maybe Addis, Axum, Adigrat, Hawzien, Mekele and Addis Abeba could be good.
Please, help me make up my mind...I've been planing this trip since October.
I would love to hear your comments.
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The mosquitoes that transmit yellow fever are daytime feeders, so you need to be sure you use repellant in the day time. Long sleeves and long trousers help.The mosquito net won't do much to prevent YF, but sleeping under a bed net is important for preventing malaria. Your immunosuppression means that you should also be taking all precautions against malaria. That includes taking an appropriate antimalarial, exactly as prescribed. Be sure to ask about taking it with or without food--some are absorbed better when taken with food; some are not. If you are prescribed a daily pill, be sure to take it at the same time each day, to keep a steady level in your blood.
It would probably be a good idea to get good medical evacuation insurance, if only for your own peace of mind. A good insurance policy will have people you can call at any time to get advice should you feel ill.
This post on Trip Advisor might be reassuring, especially post #3. Transplant Recipient in Ethiopia
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Hello NutraxThanks for your advices and that link for Kidney recipietns....I was told at the tropical disease vaccination center here in Barcelona that I dont need the antimalaria medication due to the altitude..But what about Yellow Fever mosquitoes...Doe they live at high altitude???
Thanks in advance
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Here's the thing for you and malaria. Although risk of malaria above 2,500 m is low, there are occasional cases. You are at a higher risk of having a serious case should you get malaria. It sounds like the tropical medicine person may not have been thinking about that. You may want to check with your personal doctor about that.I did find that the last case of YF reported in Ethiopia was in 1966, but a study 10 years later found that some people may have gotten it without becoming seriously ill. It's primarily a disease of monkeys.
I can't find a decent report of what altitudes the YF mosquito is found in Ethiopia, but I did find that it was reported at 2100 m in Mexico. Because it breed in and around buildings, it may survive at higher altitudes due to the warmth of its surroundings. WHO says there is really insufficient data to firmly establish risk of YF in the eastern parts of Ethiopia, so they make no altitude recommendation.
The same mosquito spreads dengue. There are no current reports of dengue in Ethiopia, but it has occurred in the past.
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Thanks again once againI'm originally from the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean and we have lots cases of Dengue. I have been there many times since I've been transplanted and I have never even put on some repellent to prevent mosquitoes bite...I dont usually get bitten by mosquitoes. Maybe I dont get any reaction but I never get any mosquito bite.
So, I think chances of getting YF in Ethiopia and, especially if there's no any frequent cases, are very low.
So, I'll packed lots of repellent, my mosquito net (I'll spray it with repellent every night), I'll burn mosquito repellent to keep them away all the time. I'll wear longsleeve shirt, long trousers, a hot, a scarf and if needed, a hat with a mosquito net....But I dont want to lose my chance to travel to Ethiopia.
Many thinaks Nutrax and any of you who has helped with this issue.
Regards
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Spraying a mosquito net with insect repellent won't help, for reasons having to do with how mosquitos behave. However, if you can buy a net that has been treated with permethrin (permetrina), it will be very effective at keeping out mosquitoes. You may also be able to buy permethrin and treat the net yourself--I am not sure about he rules in Spain, but I see that the MInesterio Sanidad recommends it here14
Hi NutraxI dont know how to thank you all the information your providing and your research on the website of el Ministerio de Sanidad of Spain...I can get Permetrina here. A friend of mine told me she got it when she went to Africa, so I'm going to get it before I travel.
Many thinks
