Health ministry warns Jamaican travellers to get yellow fever vaccine
Published:Monday | April 7, 2025 | 11:40 AM
The Ministry of Health and Wellness is reminding Jamaicans of the importance of getting vaccinated for yellow fever when travelling to and from affected countries and of presenting proof of their vaccination at the airports.
The reminder comes against the background of the increase in human cases of yellow fever for 2025 in countries of the Americas region, as noted by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO).
The ministry advises that the vaccine be administered at least 10 days prior to travel.
Yellow fever vaccinations are administered at the Slipe Pen Road Comprehensive Health Centre in Kingston on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.; and the Montego Bay Type 5 Health Centre in St James on last Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. The cost is $1,500.
“Yellow fever is an acute illness caused by the yellow fever virus which is found in the tropics of South America and Africa. The virus is transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes such as the Aedes; the same vector that transmits the Chikungunya, Dengue and Zika viruses,” Chief Medical Officer, Dr Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie, notes.
“As a Class 1 notifiable disease, suspected yellow fever cases are to be reported to the Ministry of Health and Wellness within 24 hours on suspicion by a healthcare professional," she adds.
The Ministry of Health and Wellness says it continues to undertake surveillance at the ports of entry for persons arriving from the affected destinations.
PAHO’s alert has noted that between epidemiological week (EW) one and EW 12 of this year, 131 confirmed cases of yellow fever in humans have been reported in four countries of the region, of which 53 have been fatal.
These cases have been reported in Bolivia, with one fatal case; Brazil with 81 cases, including 31 fatal cases; Colombia with 31 cases, including 13 fatal cases; and Peru with 18 cases, including eight fatal cases.
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