UGANDA (eTN) – It was learned overnight that over the festive season, cases of Yellow Fever were reported from remote parts of Northern Uganda. The Minister of Health, in conjunction with the World Health Organization and the CDC, have already dispatched a large team of doctors and nurses to the area to contain the spread of the mosquito-borne disease and vaccinate the affected population.
As the outbreak area is sufficiently far away from the country’s national parks and other tourism attractions, there is no immediate danger to tourists already in country or expected to visit in coming days, but it is very important that visitors do have a valid Yellow Fever vaccination certificate for their own protection, as well as for being asked at entry points to produce a current document. Once the vaccination has been administered, it normally lasts for up to 10 years before requiring a new shot. For intending visitors to the country, please refer to the website of the Uganda Tourist Board/Tourism Uganda for updated information via www.visituganda.com .
The last such Yellow Fever outbreak dates back some 40 years and was swiftly contained in spite of more challenging logistical problems in those days. Only recently was an outbreak of plague reported in the country, also from distant areas of Northern Uganda, but that too was swiftly brought under control and has now been fully contained, with no new cases reported over the add-on incubation period.
