The yellow fever headache: Yellow Fever Vaccinations Requirements in Africa

For those who have been following news of late, you have probably seen the row between Nigeria and South Africa after some 150 Nigerians were deported from South Africa for allegedly carrying fake yellow fever certificates, an action that prompted retaliatory deportations of South Africans from Nigeria's Murtala Muhammad International Airport.

Yellow fever endemic areas in Africa: If you come from Africa's yellow fever belt, you will always need a yellow fever certificate to travel to almost every African country. Please review the list below for the various requirements on yellow fever vaccinations.

 Many countries still require travelers moving into their countries from countries with risks of transmission to carry yellow fever certificates.

 The countries in Africa considered to be high risk due to high incidences of yellow fever infections include Tanzania, Somalia and Sao Tome and Principe. If you have stayed overnight or longer in these countries, then a yellow fever vaccination will be mandatory as you travel to other countries. 
Vaccination certificates requirements of countries are published by the World Health Organization and it's important for all travellers to carefully review these requirements and get the necessary vaccinations to avoid getting stuck at the airport.  It's also important for travellers to get vaccinated at any of the WHO designated yellow fever vaccinating centres to avoid running into problems over "fake" yellow fever certificates. Sometimes, a naive traveller might decide to take a vaccine at their local hospital, while the vaccine might be valid, the centre and certificate are probably not recognized and designated by WHO and some immigration officials will not recognize such yellow fever certificates and many of them will not bear a stamp in such cases. Always ensure your yellow fever certificate is STAMPED by the authority administering the vaccination. A yellow fever certificate without a stamp will not be considered valid by many authorities and often results in deportations.

A stamped Yellow Fever Certificate

Once administered, a yellow fever vaccine is valid or 10 years! It will be a decade before you are required to take another vaccine so this is not really an inconvenience for travellers frequently hoping from one country to another. Th ey ellow fever jab is however not recommended for those  over the age of  65. So please take your yellow fever vaccines properly and avoid putting your governments at loggerheads :)

Some of the African countries where yellow fever certificates are required include:

• Angola: Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate Required for ALL travelers over 1 year old. It's also recommended for your own safety to take a Yellow Fever vaccine when visiting Angola as the country is still considered a yellow fever risk due to incidences of the disease in recent years.
• Algeria: Yellow Fever Vaccination required for all travelers over 1 year old arriving from countries with yellow fever infection. Algeria has no yellow fever risks and yellow fever vaccinations not recommended if you are coming from a country that's yellow fever free.
• Benin: A yellow fever certificate is required for ALL travelers over 1 year old. It's also highly recommended for travellers coming from the yellow fever free countries to take the vaccine due to risk of infection.
• Botswana:  A yellow fever vaccination is required for travelers over 1 year of age arriving from or having passed from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. Travelers from countries that are yellow fever are free do not have to worry as there is no risk for yellow fever transmission in Botswana.
• Burkina Faso: A yellow fever vaccination is required from ALL travelers over 1 year of age. There is also risk of yellow fever transmission in Burkina Faso so it's in the travelers' best interest to ensure they get a yellow a fever vaccine before traveling to Burkina Faso.
• Burundi: A Yellow fever vaccination is required for all travellers over 1 year of age. It's also highly recommended fr travellers to take an initiative to get the vaccine since Burundi is considered by the WHO as having a risk of yellow fever transmission.
• Cameroon: Yellow fever vaccinations required for all travellers over 1 year of age. It's also highly recommended for travellers entering Cameroon to get a yellow fever vaccination due to risk of transmission.
• Central African Republic: Yellow vaccination required for all travellers over 1 year of age. Highly recommended for travellers to ensure they take yellow fever vaccine due to risk of transmission in the country.
• Chad: A yellow fever vaccination is required from travellers arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. Highly recommended for travellers to get the vaccine due to risk of transmission in Chad.
• Cape Verde: A Yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. Travellers from countries with no risk of yellow fever transmission do not need yellow fever certificates.
• Comoros: No yellow fever vaccination requirements.
• Congo: Yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from all travellers. Highly recommended for travellers to ensure they take yellow fever vaccine due to risk of transmission in the country.
• Cote d'Ivoire: Yellow fever vaccination certificates required from all travellers over 1 year of age. Highly recommended for travellers to ensure they take yellow fever vaccine due to risk of transmission in the country.
• Yellow vaccine required from all travellers over 1 year of age. Yellow vaccine highly recommended for travellers over 9months old except under the following conditions: Generally, a yellow fever vaccine is not recommended for a traveller whose itinerary is limited the DR Congo's Katanga Province.
• Djibouti: A yellow fever vaccine is required from all travellers arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission.
• Egypt: A Yellow fever vaccination is required from travellers arriving from countries with high risk of yellow fever transmission. All arrivals from Sudan are required to possess either a vaccination certificate or a location certificate issued by a Sudanese official centre stating that they have not been in Sudan south of 15°N within the previous 6 days. Travellers from countries with no yellow fever risk do not have to worry about yellow fever vaccinations.
• Equitorial Guinea: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers arriving from countries wit risk of yellow fever transmission. Highly recommended for travellers to ensure they take yellow fever vaccine due to risk of transmission in the country.
• Eritrea: Country requirement: a yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission.  Generally not recommended1 for travellers going to the following states: Anseba, Debub, Gash Barka, Mae Kel and Semenawi Keih Bahri.
  Not recommended for all other areas not listed above, including the islands of the Dahlak Archipelagos (Map). 
• Ethiopia: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over 1 year of age arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. Highly recommended for travellers aged 9 months and over  to ensure they take yellow fever vaccine due to risk of transmission in some areas of the country. Generally not recommended1 for travellers whose itineraries are limited to the Afar and Somali provinces (Map).
• Gabon: A yellow fever vaccination certificate  is required for all travellers over 1 year of age. Highly recommended for travellers aged 9 months and over  to ensure they take yellow fever vaccine due to risk of transmission in the country.
• Gambia: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from all passengers arriving from countries wit risk of yellow fever transmission. Highly recommended for travellers  to ensure they take yellow fever vaccine due to risk of transmission in some areas of the country.
• Ghana: A yellow fever vaccination is required from all travellers over 9 months of age. Highly recommended for travellers to ensure they take yellow fever vaccine due to risk of transmission in the country.
• Guinea: A yellow fever vaccination is required from all travellers over 1 year arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. Highly recommended for travellers to ensure they take yellow fever vaccine due to risk of transmission in the country.
• Guinea Bissau: A yellow fever vaccine is required from all travellers over 1 year of age. Highly recommended for travellers to ensure they take yellow fever vaccine due to risk of transmission in the country.
• Kenya: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from all travellers over 1 year of age arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. Highly recommended for travellers to ensure they take yellow fever vaccine due to risk of transmission in the country.
• Lesotho: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from all travellers over 1 year of age arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. Lesotho has low potential for exposure and a yellow fever vaccine is not recommended for travellers staying in the country. Travellers from countries with no risk of yellow fever transmission do not require yellow fever certificates.
• Liberia: A yellow fever vaccination is required from all travellers over 1 year of age. Highly recommended for travellers to ensure they take yellow fever vaccine due to risk of transmission in the country. Highly recommended for travellers to ensure they take yellow fever vaccine due to risk of transmission in the country.
• Libya:  A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. Libya has very low potential for exposure to yellow fever and a yellow fever vaccination is not recommended for travellers from countries with no risk of yellow fever transmission.
• Madagascar: A yellow fever vaccination is required from all travellers from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. Madagascar has low potential for infection and a yellow fever vaccination is not recommended for travellers staying in the country from regions with no risk of yellow fever transmission.
• Malawi: A yellow fever vaccination is required from all travellers from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. Malawi is another low potential country and a yellow fever vaccination is not recommended from travellers staying in the country from regions with no risk of yellow fever transmission.
• Maldives: Not really country in Africa but pretty close to the Africa Region. A yellow fever vaccination is required from all travellers from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. The vaccination is not recommended for visitors staying in the country as there is no risk of yellow fever transmission in the Maldives.
• Mali: A yellow fever vaccination is required from all travellers over 1 year of age. Recommended for all travellers aged 9 months and over going to the areas South of the Sahara Desert.
• Mauritania: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over 1 year of age arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. Recommended for all travellers aged 9 months or over travelling to areas south of the Sahara Desert (Map). Not recommended for travellers whose itineraries are limited to areas in the Sahara Desert (Map).
• Mauritius: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over 1 year of age arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. Not recommended for visitors from countries with no risk of yellow fever transmission as there's no risk of yellow fever transmission in Mauritius.
• Mayotte: Yellow fever vaccination certificate is not required.
• Morocco: Yellow fever vaccination certificate is not required. Yellow fever vaccination not recommended for travellers as there's no risk of transmission.
• Mozambique: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from all travellers arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. Yellow fever vaccination not recommended for travellers who do not pose a yellow fever risk  i.e. from countries with no risk of yellow fever vaccination.
• Namibia: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. The countries, or parts of countries, included in the endemic zones in Africa and South America are regarded as areas with risk of yellow fever transmission.
  Travellers who are on scheduled flights that originated outside the countries with risk of yellow fever transmission, but who have been in transit through these areas, are not required to possess a certificate provided that they remained at the scheduled airport or in the adjacent town during transit. All travellers whose flights originated in countries with risk of yellow fever transmission or who have been in transit through these countries on unscheduled flights are required to possess a certificate. The certificate is not insisted upon in the case of children under 1 year of age, but such infants may be subject to surveillance. Yellow fever vaccination not recommended for travellers who do not pose a yellow fever risk  i.e. from countries with no risk of yellow fever vaccination.
• Niger: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from all travellers over 1 year of age and recommended for travellers departing Niger. Recommended for all travellers aged 9 months or over travelling to areas south of the Sahara Desert (Map). Not recommended for travellers whose itineraries are limited to areas in the Sahara Desert (Map).
• Nigeria: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over 1 year of age arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. Highly recommended for travellers to ensure they take yellow fever vaccine due to risk of transmission in the country.
• Reunion: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over 1 year of age arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. Yellow fever vaccination not recommended for travellers who do not pose a yellow fever risk  i.e. from countries with no risk of yellow fever vaccination as Reunion has no risk of yellow fever transmission.
• Rwanda: Yellow fever vaccination required from all travellers over 1 year of age. Highly recommended for travellers to ensure they take yellow fever vaccine due to risk of transmission in the country.
• Sao Tome and Principe: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from all travellers over
  1 year of age.
• Senegal: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over 9 months of age arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. Highly recommended for travellers to ensure they take yellow fever vaccine due to risk of transmission in the country.
• Seychelles:  A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over 9 months of age arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. No yellow fever risk in the country so a vaccination is not recommended for those from countries not placed under the mandatory yellow vaccination requirement.
• Sierra Leone: A yellow fever vaccination is required from all travellers. Highly recommended for travellers to ensure they take yellow fever vaccine due to risk of transmission in the country.
• Somalia: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. Generally not recommended for travellers going to the following regions: Bakool, Banaadir, Bay, Gado, Galgadud, Hiran, Lower Juba, Middle Juba, Lower Shabelle and Middle Shabelle (Map). Not recommended for all other areas not listed above. 
• South Africa: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over 1 year of age arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. Generally not recommended for travellers from countries with no risk of transmission as South Africa is generally a very low risk(no risk) area for yellow  fever transmission. 
• Sudan: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over 9 months of age arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. A certificate may be required from travellers departing Sudan. Highly recommended for travellers to ensure they take yellow fever vaccine due to risk of transmission in the country.
• Swaziland: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. Like South Africa, Swaziland has no risk of yellow fever transmission hence a yellow fever vaccination is not recommended unless it's a mandatory requirement for your country.
• Tanzania: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over 1 year of age arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission.
  
• Togo: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from all travellers over 1 year of age. Highly recommended for travellers to ensure they take yellow fever vaccine due to risk of transmission in the country.
• Tunisia: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over 1 year of age arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. A yellow fever vaccination is not recommended unless it's a mandatory requirement for your country as Tunisia has no risk of transmission.
• Uganda: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over 1 year of age arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. Highly recommended for travellers to ensure they take yellow fever vaccine due to risk of transmission in the country.
• Zambia: Yellow fever vaccination certificate not required.
• Zimbabwe: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. Zimbabwe, like South Africa has no risk has no of yellow fever transmission and a vaccination is not recommended unless it's mandatory for your country.
  

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South Africa: Five ACSA employees fired over luggage theft

The Airports Company of South Africa(ACSA) has fired five employees in the last week over luggage theft at the OR Tambo International Airport.


The employees were caught red-handed after a recent security upgrade at the airport.
“ACSA is pulling out all the stops to combat luggage theft. Incidents of luggage theft and tampering have dropped by one third over the past two years,” Assistant general manager of airport operations Tebogo Mekgoe told media.

He said ACSA spent about R7.2 million a year on luggage security measures.

Luggage Tampered with at the airport

 Incidents of luggage tampering at the airport have declined from 18 out of 1000 passengers who departed in January 2010, to 10,4 out of 1000, a year later.

 Los Angeles and London Heathrow Airport are some of the worst airports in the world with highest incidents of luggage theft and tampering.

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South African President Zuma travels with two "shadow jets"

The issue of travel by Presidents in Africa is always a source of hot debate. Many will not fly commercial(even if their national carriers fly to the destinations of state visit. Is a first class cabin "too low" for an African President?) and prefer commandeering national airlines, many buy business jets for their travel while some use charter services, all three options on the sweat and toil and of taxpayers.

Recently, South African President  flew to the United States with two back-up aircraft used to "shadow" the President's Boeing Business Jet ("Inkwazi"). The two back-up aircraft were used as backup in case mechanical failures were experienced by the presidential jet. The South African authorities are also busy shopping for additional business jets for use by the President and his VP.

The Inkwazi: South African Presidential Jet. Are more business jets necessary for South African leaders?

The government justifies this expense as a consequence of South Africa's increasing international obligations and stature in the world. According to South African Airforce Lieutenant General Carlo Gagiano,  the requirements(for international travel) had changed vastly since 1994 when the SAAF had only operated two aircraft for VIP transport to a limited number of international engagements. He pointed out that South Africa had considerably more international obligations as far afield as Australia and the United States. Being able to get leaders to high-profile engagements on time was a matter of national prestige.

The question now becomes, should President Zuma be making all these international trips? What's the value add to the South African economy and society? Could a foreign Minister not undertake some of these roles? It's question South Africans will have to ask their government, especially if domestic economic and social conditions are not moving in congruence with South Africa's new "international standing".

Perhaps, it's time to adopt fiscal responsibility and move away from the vestiges of the past...perhaps borrow a lesson  from David Cameron, leader of much more developed and richer country with even bigger international obligations, who traveled to South Africa on a scheduled commercial flight during his state visit.

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South Africa's Velvet Sky Airlines Grounded due to Financial Problems

There is a rumour milling about that South Africa's LCC Velvet Sky has been hit by a severe cash crisis and there's a possibility that airline might shut down soon due to failure in paying outstanding debts. The airline is said to have run into heavy debts with aviation service providers in South Africa including SwissPort.

Several flights were delayed indefinitely by the airline on Friday and irate passengers were kept on the wait throughout the day. The airline grounded its fleet after failing to pay fees to South African Technical (SAT), a 100%-owned subsidiary of South African Airways (SAA), and is used to repair and maintain the fleet of SAA, Comair (Kulula and British Airways South Africa), Kulula airline, KLM and Air France) amongst others.

Chairman of Velvet Sky, Cecil Reddy, following the launch of Velvet Sky Airlines flights in March  last year

Last week, the airline ditched flights to the Polokwane International Airport with the intention of cancelling its controversial agreement with the Gateway Airport Authority Limited (GAAL). According to the airline spin, the flights were cancelled for "ethical" reasons following a preferential treatment afforded Velvet Sky by the Limpopo authorities exempting the airline from paying Passenger Service Charges. The airline apparently cancelled the flights to protect its "brand image".

Flights to Polokwane wee launched only three months ago and the abrupt cancellation was the first signal to observers that the airline was facing financial difficulties.

According to a source, shortly after Velvet’s landing, its deal with GAAL, the state authority charged with overseeing the management of Limpopo’s airports, became embroiled in controversy. In October, GAAL had offered Velvet preferential concessions that would exempt the airliner from paying certain airport charges. The concessions were understood to be necessary in order to make the route economically viable for Velvet Sky while bringing increasing tourism and business traffic to the Limpopo province, something that was encouraged by Limpopo government officials, keen on giving the province's economy a shot in the arm.

However, SA Airlink - previously the only airliner to run scheduled flights into Polokwane – was not offered the same privileges and the concessions, bringing the legality of the deal between GAAL and Velvet Sky  under question. Citing concerns over its agreement with GAAL, Velvet Sky has now unceremoniously left the building, vacating its offices and pulling its staff from the airport over the weekend.

Travelers to the Limpopo province can once again brace themselves for high fares as SA Airlink regains its monopoly on the route. I might be wrong but Velvet Sky is an airline which will soon drop off the skies.

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Top Online Travel Booking Websites in South Africa

South Africa's commercial aviation industry has many things going in the right direction, from investments and emergence of a vibrant LCC market segment to a thriving online travel marketplace. South African travel  industry got a huge  boost from the World Cup 2010 which positioned South Africa as a top travel destination with World Class infrastructure. The country now receives an estimated 860,000 visitors per month out of which some 200,000 come outside the African continent.

South African Online Travel Market

An estimated 10% of South Africans now travel by air each year or roughly 5 million people. There are also an estimated 6 million South Africans who are now online, and online shopping is now the latest craze in the country with several online shopping and deal buying websites springing up. In the recent years, there has been a surge in online shopping trends in South Africa.  One of the main reasons for this trend is that goods sold online are generally much cheaper and consumers are now forced to look to the internet for savings.

South Africa's Online retailer Kalahari has an estimated 1 million registered users and is the country's biggest online retailer. We can safely use this figure to generalize that the online shopping industry in the country has grown in leaps and bounds in the last few years. We can safely assume that out of South Africa's 6 million internet users, over one million shop online or are aware of online shopping trends and portals.

When it comes to travel, the largest online retailer is undoubtedly South Africa's LCC Kulula. Kulula's online retail portal Kulula Travel generated an estimated R2 billion($250 million) in revenues in 2008 from 650,000 unique browsers per month, a figure that has since grown to ZAR2.5 billion($300 million).



Local Players in the Online Travel market in South Africa
Reaping the dividends of the past few years, the country has developed lots of homegrown online travel websites fare comparison engines and flight finder engines. So instead of Opodo, Expedia, eDreams, you can now access hundreds of South Africa's homegrown flight and fare finders.

Of course the huge competition means you might be spoilt for choice in what tools to use to locate the cheapest flights to the rainbow nation. Online booking websites make travel that much easier for you and here are some of South Africa's top online travel booking websites:

Flight Centre : One of the largest online travel and travel booking websites in South Africa. Founded in the UK in 1972, the Flight Centre South African outfit began operations in 1995. Flight Centre offers some of the lowest discount airfares.

SAFlights.co.za : A one stop resource for Comparison Flight Bookings, Accommodation and Car Hire in South Africa. Offers flight fare comparison for the six different airlines which offer domestic flights in South Africa.

BestFlights.co.za :Website compares flight prices on over 25 international airlines that offer international flights from South Africa.

South Africa Travel Online: One stop travel website dedicated to South Africa. South African travel - flight, car rental & hotel price comparisons, specials and reservations. Hot Air ballooning, overland safaris & cruises.

Travel.co.za : started in 1999 as a specialist online travel company with the TOURVEST group and over the years it has quietly gone about it's business of providing a variety of services and products to it's South African clientele.


Flightsite.co.za : FlightSite is a comprehensive website, which allows you to plan your holiday in detail, according to your specific needs. This easily accessible website displays a wide variety of flights, accommodation and package options, all at great prices, for you to choose from.


StaTravel.co.za STA Travel offer cheap flights, student flights, discounted student and youth travel, working holidays, cheap hotel and hostel bookings, travel insurance, discount cards and special offers on tours and packages.


DomesticFlights.co.za:  Allows you to search the cheapest domestic flights in South Africa, compare fares and book.


Lastsecond.co.za : South Africa travel website for cheap "last second" travel offers. Coming Soon. 


Which is your favourite? Do you know of a popular online travel booking or fare comparison website in South Africa that we might have left out? Comments are welcome.


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