Home  Epidemiological Bulletin Article No.8 - Vol.27, No.2 - October 2008
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Article No.8 - Vol.27, No.2 - October 2008
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Requirements for certificate of vaccination against Yellow Fever in the Region of the Americas
On 4 September 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) established a group of experts to analyze the classification of areas within the countries representing a risk of transmission of yellow fever, in order to address the concern shared by many countries of limiting prevention measures to population groups and travelers really at risk.
The principle guiding the decision of the Member States about requiring certificates of vaccination is stated under the purpose of the IHR (2005): “to provide a public health response to the international spread of diseases in ways that are commensurate with and restricted to public health risks” (Art. 2). This implies analyzing, for each risk, the prevention or control measures that could be recommended according to scientific principles and the available pertinent evidence.
The IHR (2005) provides Member States with the option to require certificates of vaccination against yellow fever from travelers entering a specific country; however, the benefits of applying such a requirement must be weighed against more effective measures such as active surveillance and timely intervention; the magnitude of the risk of introduction of the yellow fever virus; and the negative economic consequences that could be generated by this requirement, especially for tourism and trade.
The requirement of certificates of vaccination against yellow fever is not justified for travelers from countries that are not classified by WHO as presenting a risk of transmission of yellow fever.
With regards to travel safety, WHO recommends that all travelers to an area classified by WHO as presenting a risk of transmission of yellow fever, be vaccinated 10 days or more before their departure date.
PAHO reaffirms its commitment to cooperate with the countries in order to review the current policies on this issue, as well as to strengthen the core elements of active surveillance, prevention and control of yellow fever, in order to reduce the vulnerability due to the circulation of the virus and ensure timely detection and containment.
Source: Point of Contact fro the International Health Regulations/Communicable Diseases Project (CD)/Area of Health Surveillance and Disease Prevention and Control (HSD)/PAHO/WHO.
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