What should you know about places where yellow fever occurs?

Yellow fever occurs in parts of Africa and South America where the virus circulates between mosquitoes, people, and sometimes animals. Risk can differ within a country according to the exact region, season, activities, and time spent outdoors. A city itinerary may have different considerations from visits to rural, forested, or border areas. Travel rules may also depend on where you have recently been, including a transit stop.

Share your full itinerary with a travel-health clinician, including stopovers and places outside major cities. Arrange this early enough to discuss vaccination suitability and travel documentation. Use measures that reduce mosquito bites throughout the trip: apply repellent as directed, choose accommodation with screens or air conditioning where possible, and wear long sleeves and trousers when mosquitoes are active.

Get prompt medical advice for fever, headache, muscle pain, nausea, or unusual fatigue after visiting an area where yellow fever occurs. Seek urgent care for yellow skin or eyes, bleeding, severe vomiting, confusion, breathing difficulty, fainting, or severe abdominal pain. Tell the healthcare team where you travelled and the dates of travel, as this helps guide assessment.

Ask whether your exact route creates a yellow fever exposure concern, whether any country on the journey asks for vaccination documentation, and which mosquito-control products suit your age and health needs. If you are pregnant, immunocompromised, or have had a severe vaccine reaction, discuss this before making vaccination decisions.