Yellow Fever in Brazil

Update: March 7, 2008

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) recommends yellow fever vaccination for travellers going to the following parts of Brazil, based on an expanded recommendation from the Brazilian Ministry of Health:

• The provinces of Roraima, Amazonas, Acre, Rondonia, Mato Grosso, Para, Amapa, Maranhao, Tocantins, Goias, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Distrito Federal (including Brasilia); and
• Portions of the provinces of Piaui, Bahia, Espirito Santo, Sao Paulo, Parana, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul.

A map of these areas is available at: http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentUpdatedYFMapBrazil.aspx.

The Brazilian Ministry of Health reports a total of 35 confirmed cases of yellow fever between December 16th, 2007 and March 5th, 2008.

PHAC recommends specific precautions to travellers to help reduce their risk of contracting yellow fever – see ‘Recommendations for Travellers' below.

Yellow Fever

Yellow fever is a serious viral infection of short duration and varying severity. It is caused by a virus that is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected day-time biting mosquito. Symptoms take three to six days to appear and include sudden onset of fever with chills, headache, muscle pain, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting. In severe cases, yellow fever can lead to shock, bleeding, organ failure, jaundice (i.e., yellowing of skin and eyes) and death.

For additional information on Yellow Fever, see PHAC's Disease Fact Sheet : Yellow Fever.

Recommendations for travellers

PHAC continues to recommend that travellers take the following usual precautions to reduce their risk of getting yellow fever when travelling to Brazil:

Get vaccinated – it is the single most important measure for preventing yellow fever! The single-dose vaccine against yellow fever is safe, effective and recommended for individuals nine months of age and older. There may be some people for whom the vaccine is not recommended (e.g. pregnant women, people who have impaired or weakened immune systems). See your personal physician or travel clinic to determine if the vaccine is right for you. The vaccine becomes protective after 10 days, and provides immunity for 10 years or more. In Canada, the vaccination is available only at designated Yellow Fever Centres. [Reminder: In Brazil yellow fever vaccination is a requirement of entry for those arriving from, or having been in transit through, areas where yellow fever occurs.]

Use personal insect protective measures to avoid insect bites. Detailed information on insect-bite avoidance available in the Committee to Advise on Tropical Medicine and Travel's Statement on Personal Protective Measures to Prevent Arthropod Bites - Update.

As a reminder…

PHAC strongly recommends that Canadian travellers consult their personal physician or a travel clinic at least six weeks prior to international travel, regardless of destination, for an individual risk assessment to determine their individual health risks and their need for vaccination, preventative medication, and personal protective measures.

PHAC recommends, as well, that travellers who become sick or feel unwell on their return to Canada should seek a medical assessment with their personal physician. Travellers should inform their physician, without being asked, that they have been travelling or living outside of Canada, and where they have been.

Additional information:

• World Health Organization – Yellow Fever
• Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada Travel Report on Brazil