Travellers advised to get yellow fever vaccine before going to Brazil

Travellers heading towards the South American nation, Brazil, are warned about the sudden outbreak of yellow fever and are advised to take proper vaccination against the virus.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, travelers heading to Brazilian states of Espirito Santo and Bahia, as well as cities such as Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, are being told to exercise caution after the World Health Organization issued a Level 2 health alert.

In early 2017, the outbreaks of yellow fever were declared however, the Brazilian government announced it had the virus under control by September. By the end of 2017, the outbreak again started and the Brazilian Ministry of Health revealed 53 people have died since July 1, with the majority coming over the last several weeks. A Dutch traveller was diagnosed with yellow fever two weeks ago as he did not get the yellow fever vaccination. The major symptoms of the disease are high fever, headache, myalgia, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

CDC has thus declared that anyone travelling to Brazil and is older than nine months must get vaccinated against the virus.

With a limited supply of yellow fever vaccines in Brazil, the CDC travelers should get vaccinated before arriving. The Brazilian Ministry of Health has already declared to vaccinate nearly 22 million people although the issues with supply continue.

Tags: brazil, yellow fever