The Ministry of Public Health yesterday said a new shipment of Yellow Fever vaccines arrived on Tuesday as expected.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO) Dr Karen Boyle stated that the vaccines would be ready for distribution in the coming week. Amid concerns over a Yellow Fever outbreak in parts of Africa, Guyana had run out of vaccines in July. The previous shipment had arrived on June 17th, 2016.
At the time that the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Shamdeo Persaud announced the unavailability of Yellow Fever vaccines, he implored persons desirous of travelling to countries listed as endemic for Yellow Fever (mainly in Africa and Asia), to locate their immunisation records before requesting the vaccine. He noted that only one dose of the vaccine is required to provide lifelong immunity against the virus. He added that because Guyana has excellent immunisation coverage, most Guyanese would have received the Yellow Fever vaccine as it is part of the Ministry’s immunisation schedule.
It was also advised that persons travelling to endemic countries should have a valid International Certificate of Vaccination. The CMO had said that if the records could not be found, members of the public could go to the health centres where they were vaccinated and request a copy of the document. This document could then be used for the issuing of the International Certificate of Vaccination.
A similar message was posted on the Ministry’s website with regards to the request for the vaccines by the general public which read, “If you have been vaccinated at least once in your life and have the necessary documentation to prove this but you are not in possession of your International Yellow Fever Vaccination Card, it is recommended that you visit the nearest regional vaccination centre to receive such. One dose of the Yellow Fever vaccine, even received as a child, is now valid for life according to the World Health Organization International Health Regulations WHA67.13.”
The CMO also noted that Guyanese are not required to show proof of immunisation for travel to and from the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, and most Caribbean and South American countries.
With an ongoing outbreak in the southern African state of Angola, the demand for the vaccine has increased tremendously.
According to the World Health Organization website, the number of confirmed cases of Yellow Fever in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo has now reached 966. But while over 17 million persons have been vaccinated against the virus in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the need for more doses of the vaccine remains.
This has since forced the WHO to implement a strategy that allows the Yellow Fever vaccine to be administered in fractional doses in areas where the supply capacity of the vaccines has been threatened or is inadequate.
