More Clarification on the Yellow Fever Vaccination

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - The government of Panama is going to begin to require that passengers traveling either to or from one of the 42 countries listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as being areas were Yellow Fever is being transmitted have a valid and current Yellow Fever vaccination effective on 1 November 2008. To make things perfectly clear, this does not include passengers traveling either to or from the United States or Canada. If you're coming into Panama from the US and flying straight in with no stops or layovers, then you do not need the shot. You might want to get one anyway just to protect your own health, but there has not been a case of Yellow Fever reported in Panama since 1974. This new more stringent set of requirements is a response on the part of Panama to attempt to prevent the return of Yellow Fever to the country from other areas of the world where it is more prevalent. (more)

Get It Here For $5 Bucks: One guy came up on the Americans in Panama Yahoo! email group and reported that he just got his shot in the United States and that he paid $395 for the privilege. If you're going to be coming to Panama and you want to get the shot, just hang onto your money and get it while you are here. The shots are being administered by the Ministry of Health for $5 bucks a pop. You might have to wait a while and go through a bit of a paperwork gaggle (as usual for anything having to do with any government) but in the end you will get your shot for basically free.

Colombia, Peru, Ecuador...: All of the countries in the Northern part of South America are on the WHO list of 42 countries, so if you have any plans to travel either to or from those countries through Panama then you had better get the shot. The rest of the countries are all in Central Africa, so sweat it if you've been to Gabon lately. Here's the maps (again): (Source)

Just Get The Damn Shot: My battle cry with regards to this whole Yellow Fever mess is becoming "just get the damn shot." I mean, it costs $5 bucks and it's good for ten years so why not? Whatever. In any case you've been property informed so my work here is done. Now that I've been protected, off to wrestle with those frisky monkeys...

Copyright 2008 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.