CDC issues yellow fever travel notice for the Sudan
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a travel notice Wednesday for the Sudan due to the current outbreak and the risk of yellow fever to travelers.
Aedes aegypti Image/CDC
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported 44 suspected cases of yellow fever, including 14 deaths, from October 3 to November 24, 2013. Some of the cases have been laboratory-confirmed. The outbreak is located in West and South Kordofan states of Sudan.
Federal health officials say travelers can protect themselves from yellow fever by getting yellow fever vaccine and preventing mosquito bites.
CDC recommends the yellow fever vaccine for travelers 9 months of age or older visiting areas south of the Sahara Desert.
Visit a yellow fever vaccination (travel) clinic and ask for a yellow fever vaccine. You should receive this vaccine at least 10 days before your trip.
After receiving the vaccine, you will receive a signed and stamped International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP, sometimes called the “yellow card”), which you must bring with you on your trip. The vaccine lasts for 10 years.
Travelers can also protect themselves by preventing mosquito bites. This includes covering exposed skin, using appropriate insect repellent, for example products that contain DEET, staying and sleeping in screened or air conditioned rooms and using a bed net if the area where you are sleeping is exposed to the outdoors.
More on travel health, yellow fever and the vaccine from the CDC’s Yellow Book
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