Travel agents say get that yellow fever vaccine

Travel agent at Angelo’s Travel and Tours, Princes Town, Sat Mohanlal, said clients are advised to get the vaccine ten days prior to their travel.

“More countries are being added onto the list. Before it was just Jamaica at one stage, now it is Bahamas, Haiti and St Lucia. Eventually some of the other countries may also add on as well.

We are advising clients to get themselves vaccinated or provide their immunisation cards to show proof that they already had the shot. If they don’t they need the shot two weeks prior to their travel.” He said the Ministry of Health, on June 23, issued an advisory and, as soon as they got the information, it was passed on to the travelling public.

“In the advisory it stated that travellers must be vaccinated before entering all the African countries, Asian countries, Jamaica, Bahamas, Haiti, St Lucia.

For Central and South America, those countries would be Belize, Columbia, Honduras and Panama,” he said.

Another travel agent who did not want to be identified said they always advise their customers to get the yellow fever shot before travelling.

“Before, it all depended on the destination of the traveller.

But now things have changed and if a person is going to Jamaica they must be vaccinated.” Meanwhile, Caribbean Airlines (CAL) is urging its customers to ensure that they know the vaccination requirements of the country to which they are visiting.In a statement, CAL gave the advice in light of recent yellow fever health advisories issued by various countries.

Head of Corporate Communications, Dionne Ligoure said, “To ensure an uninterrupted travel experience, Caribbean Airlines is recommending that all persons intending to travel, ensure that their vaccinations are up to date.