Yellow Fever

What is yellow fever?

Yellow fever is a serious disease spread by an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito. It is found in parts of Africa, South America, Central America and Trinidad in the Caribbean. The mosquito is more likely to bite during daylight. It doesn't spread from close contact with someone that has the disease.

Key symptoms of yellow fever

Symptoms start to develop after 3 to 6 days of being bitten by an infected mosquito. The symptoms include:

• temperature
• headache
• feeling sick or vomiting
• muscle pain
• backache
• loss of appetite
• eyes being sensitive to light

Up to a quarter of the cases develop more serious symptoms, such as:

• Jaundice, yellowing of the skin and eyes
• Bleeding from the mouth, nose, eyes or ears
• Vomiting blood or blood in the stool.

If you are travelling in a region where yellow fever infection is found and you get the symptoms, seek medical help urgently. If you return from such a region and have symptoms, contact your GP or call 111 for help.

Yellow Fever Vaccination

The yellow fever vaccination is recommended if you are travelling to:

You will need to have the vaccination at least 10 days before travelling to give it enough time for it to start working. For further details and up to date information on the yellow fever vaccine, visit the NHS website, click here.

• A region where the yellow fever infection is found and/or
• A country that requires you to have a valid certificate proving that you had the yellow fever vaccination.

Yellow Fever vaccine certificate

Some countries require you to present a valid certificate of vaccination administration for yellow fever. This is known as an International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP).

When you get your yellow fever vaccination at one of the clinics, they will issue a yellow fever vaccination certificate. Please make sure that the personal details that you provide match those on your passport or travel documents.