Yellow Fever Vaccination

Does anyone know if the Caribbean and Amazon viking cruise requires a yellow fever vaccination? I have ITP and can't take live virus vaccinations, so I was wondering. Thanks

There is a website which is something to do with an International Health Organisation, but try Google for the best link. It all depends on your age and where you've come from I think. Basically I don't think there's a YF requirement for the Caribbean, not sure about the Amazon.

Whatever your nationality, your Government must have a website covering this. Good luck.

Go to the Center for Disease Control website. It will give you country by country requirements. If any country requires it, you will have to ask your md how to proceed.

Not sure which country you are from, but in N/America we have specialised travel clinics, who have the latest requirements for each country, in fact they when we visit they drill down to specific regions we will visit. Every time we travel we visit our local travel clinic and have a consultation with the specialist, who recommends the injections we require, which are then completed by one of the nurses.

In UK, I had to visit a special clinic for my first yellow fever vacc.

Initially yellow fever required 10 year repeat boosters, but lately I am hearing that some consider it good for life.

I am certainly not an expert but what I have determined from various websites, pretty sure that CDC now recommends YFV for Brazil. French Guiana I think REQUIRES it. Best to check again yourself. In the past if you had a written note from doctor saying you are not able to have YFV that will fulfill the requirement.

A local travel clinic as suggested will be the best for answers. We are also going to take antimalarial drugs for the Amazon.

We are going November 2018 when is your cruise?

The clinics in the US are called Passport Health. They are in most bigger cities, or one day a week in smaller towns. We got a YFV when we went to the Amazon 14 years ago. Just got it again for a trip to India. This one is now good for life. Here is the thing, these places do not REQUIRE this vaccination if you are coming from countries where Yellow Fever is not endemic. We got it for our own protection since it is endemic in Brazil and Delhi.

CDC and WHO highly recommend Yellow Fever vaccine for Brazil, and as Deec shares, French Guiana requires it.

If there is not a travel clinic near you, ask your doctor where the closest pharmacy is that actually administers it as very few do. That pharmacy can provide you with a website you can go through a process to apply.

60 is the magic age where there is an automatic red flag. If you are over 60 you will want to talk to your doctor about your specific medical condition as and whether he/she recommends it. If not, then you may still want to go through the website if you want to have an official waiver to carry with you.

It is my understanding that it is up to the countries who REQUIRE the vaccine to accept the official waiver and allow you to visit or not.

We are both over 60 so we did a lot of research last year before getting YFV.

I might suggest gong over to TripAdvisor forums for the Amazon. There is a lot of detailed information and links on the current status in Brazil with respect to YFV. But if you go onto CDC and WHO websites, look up Brazil and French Guiana you will find all this information as well.

My Viking Journey states that the Visa for Brazil is required, but I am not seeing anything in writing about YFV.

I did some research too, and somewhere I thought I saw a mention of a card which could be shown to authorities to verify that your country of origin has said that over 60's don't have to have the jab?

I don't wish to go booking a cruise to a destination where the authorities might be awkward and prevent me entering!

By way of disclaimer, remember that "they told me on Cruise Critic" is not going to get you anywhere should one run into problems with immigration officials. Besides which, we aren't physicians and cannot dispense medical advice other than to tell you to consult the CDC website to find to find out the requirements and your physician or a travel clinic to figure out how to fulfill them.

As a physician, do get waiver if over 60. I wrote my own waiver for Brazil.

As I said, and Peregrina emphasized, be sure to get medical advice from your doctors. We consulted our doctor, a travel doctor, and the pharmacist who specialized in these vaccines before making our decision.

To receive the ‘waiver’ over 60 card, at least in California and as of one year ago(maybe this piece varies by state?), you have to go through the application process either online or a travel clinic. Your primary physician cannot issue this for you. Once they see that you are over 60 they will automatically recommend a waiver card. If you choose to go that route, you then pay for the waiver card either at the travel clinic or the pharmacy.

It still remains the country where YFV is REQUIRED, (different from advises) to allow you to visit with the waiver card or not. So for instance on this itinerary, Brazil advises, and French Guiana requires. I have no idea what position FG takes on this.

Thank you. I have been on both country' websites. Only French Guiana required yf and only for toddlers, but I have seen people write they must take one. I was hoping someone had been there recently who did not take one.

Ok, so what’s the situation if you decide to have a day on board for the day that the ship is in a place that requires or advises yf (and if you’re over 60 anyway)?

Thank you. I have been on both country' websites. Only French Guiana required yf and only for toddlers, but I have seen people write they must take one. I was hoping someone had been there recently who did not take one.

Grand Hofmann, this is what the CDC site says for yellow fever vaccination for French Guiana:

Required for arriving travelers from all countries if traveler is ≥1 year of age.

Recommended for all travelers ≥9 months of age.

So it's not required just for toddlers, but anyone over 1 yr. of age.

WAVTAM...you could start a new practice/business and offer the waiver cards to passengers over 60 once they board!!! :) !

Ok, so what’s the situation if you decide to have a day on board for the day that the ship is in a place that requires or advises yf (and if you’re over 60 anyway)?

There was a lot of discussion around this before last year inaugural Amazon cruise. Since it is not required in Brazil, but highly recommended, people on the two previous sailings were able to go off the ship with or without the YFV or the Waiver Card.

French Guiana, where it is required, I do not know if the port will allow you to go off the ship with the waiver. Last year they were unable to visit due to high seas, so no Viking history with FG to date. Those who did not have the vaccine nor the waiver were just planning on staying on the ship.

I do know that other cruise lines require the YFV or Waiver card to even sail there. At one point last year Viking required as well, but then backed away and did not enforce or check for it according to passengers. I do not see it listed as required on this year under My Viking Journey. November sailing will be Viking’s third Amazon sailing, but only the second sailing with this itinerary.

Glad we have already had the vaccine for a previous trip.

I do think we will take the Malarone since we have never experienced any side effects from it. LLBean has a great bug repellent hooded shirt that I loved when were in the Amazon (at the other end)! I hate mosquitoes and they love me!!!

My Visa is in place. Husband's picture now has been accepted so we expect his to arrive soon.

Give yourselves plenty of time to do the Visas because pictures and scanning do not always go smoothly and you dont want to stress at last minute if you need new pictures.

I emailed Viking and they said they did not require a YF vaccination to get on the ship. Brazil requires it if you have been to French Guiana but I wonder how you would prove you stayed on the ship or if they would accept the waiver. I have emailed the Brazilian consulate but have not heard back. I am thinking of canceling the cruise because I don't like the fact they want $14,000 14 months before the cruise. That does not sit well with me.