Caribbean Destinations May Require Yellow Fever Vaccination

Visiting the Caribbean Islands this winter may require proof of vaccination for a potentially severe disease spread by common mosquitos. 

The Dominican Republic's General Immigration Directorate recently confirmed that most visitors arriving from Brazil, Colombia, or Venezuela must present a yellow fever vaccination certificate to enter the country, reported Fragomen in October 2022.

The Dominican Republic previously implemented yellow fever vaccination requirements for certain travelers from Brazil and Venezuela but suspended the requirement in July 2022.

The good news is there are safe and effective yellow fever vaccines available that the U.S. FDA approves.

The 17D yellow fever vaccine (YF-Vax® or Stamaril®) was approved for human use decades ago and is still in use today, with about 850 million doses distributed worldwide.

These vaccines are available in the U.S. but only from authorized providers, such as United Pharmacy in Lubbock, Texas. 

The U.S. CDC says yellow fever is a very rare cause of illness in U.S. travelers.

Yellow fever infection is diagnosed based on laboratory testing, a person's symptoms, and travel history. 

Most people infected with the yellow fever virus will either not have symptoms or have mild symptoms and completely recover.

For people who develop symptoms, the time from infection until the illness is typically 3 to 6 days.

Because there is a risk of severe disease, all people who develop symptoms should see their healthcare provider.

Once infected, you will likely be protected from future infections via natural immunity.

Additionally, dengue is a health risk when visiting the Dominican Republic.

The U.S. CDC reissued a Watch - Level 1, Practice Usual Precautions notice on August 15, 2022, confirming dengue is an ongoing risk in many parts of the Caribbean.

Dengue is also a vaccine-preventable disease.

The Dominican Republic is located between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, in the Antilles archipelago, occupying approximately two-thirds of the eastern end of Hispaniola.

Note that Dominican Republic entry requirements may change. Therefore, individuals seeking to travel to the Dominican Republic should check with their airline for specific information.

Vax-Before-Travel publishes fact-checked, research-based travel vaccine news manually curated for mobile readers.