What is Yellow Fever Vaccine ?
Yellow fever vaccine can prevent yellow fever. Yellow fever vaccine is given only at designated vaccination centers.
Yellow fever vaccination in India - Government versus Private sector
Yellow Fever Vaccine is one of the last vestiges of the License Raj regime that the government of India used to prefer in the older years.
While there may have been justification for "controlling" Yellow Fever vaccination in the yesteryears when access to good quality vaccination was difficult and importing the same impossible, this is no longer the case.
Nowadays Yellow Fever vaccination at Government level is associated with lots of Corruption, poor quality vaccine and lots of wasted time.
Here are the pros & cons of the Yellow Fever vaccination in the Government versus Private sector in India
Government Centers
- PROS
1. Cheaper Vaccine
2. Government Certificate of vaccination
3. Well known - relatively easily accessible
CONS
1. Poor quality vaccine - Chinese/ Russian vaccine at lowest tender price
2. Increased range of side-effects - More fever, local swelling, pain etc.
3. Huge waste of time - Need to take appointment 1 day prior, then be punctual and hope that a VIP has not taken your turn. Also fixed days, and centers located at only 22 places in India.
4. Multi-dose Vaccine - More chances of side-effects, need a minimum number of customers to open the vial, individual vaccination cannot be given.Private Centers
PROS
1. Faster vaccination
2. Individuals can be vaccinated at their convenience.
3. STAMARIL - A better quality, French made vaccination by Sanofi Aventis - a well known multinational vaccine manufacturer.
4. Less side-effectsCONS
1. Expensive
2. Tough to locate the clinics since not well advertised
3. Worry about proper certification - Preferable to go to a center providing the WHO Yellow Booklet with International Certificate of Vaccination
Hope this helps you decide what is the best option in your situation for taking the Yellow Fever vaccination in India.
After getting the vaccine, you should be given a stamped and signed “International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis” (yellow card). This certificate becomes valid 10 days after vaccination and is good for 10 years.
Indian travelers returning from designated countries in Africa and South America are required to have yellow fever vaccination done (ideally) ten days before they travel.
Immigration Officers at indian airports will demand for a certificate showing one is vaccinated against yellow fever. The vaccination is valid for ten years. Lack of vaccine certification means seven days spent at the quarantine centre.
Yellow fever vaccine is a vaccine used against yellow fever.
The vaccine consists of a live, but attenuated, strain of the yellow fever virus called 17D. The 17D vaccine has been used commercially since the 1950s. The mechanisms of attenuation and immunogenicity for the 17D strain are not known. However, this vaccine is very safe, with few adverse reactions having been reported and millions of doses administered, and highly effective with over 90% of vaccinees developing a measurable immune response after the first dose. Yellow fever vaccination certificate is issued for 10 years but becomes valid only after 10 days of vaccination.
History
In 1937, Max Theiler, working at the Rockefeller Foundation, developed a safe and highly efficacious vaccine for yellow fever that gives a ten-year or more immunity from the virus. For his work on the yellow fever vaccine, he received the 1951 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Candidates for vaccination
People most at risk of contracting the virus should be vaccinated. Woodcutters working in tropical areas should be particularly targeted for vaccination. Insecticides, protective clothing, and screening of houses are helpful, but not always sufficient for mosquito control; people should always use an insecticide spray while in certain areas. In affected areas, mosquito control methods have proven effective in decreasing the number of cases.
To read more on the following go to 'archive' tab
| How to kill mosquitoes naturally | ||||
| Protection against malaria | ||||
| Risks of yellow fever vaccine | ||||
| Information for Physicians | ||||
| International Health Regulations (2005) | ||||
| Requirements for validity | ||||
| Information for travellers | ||||
| list of Government Centers | ||||
| Yellow fever vaccine REQUIREMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS |
