Yellow Fever Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Yellow Fever, including details on immunization, vaccines, symptoms, transmission.

Travelling for work: Seeking advice in South Africa.

Ross MH, Kielkowski D, de Frey A, Brink G

De Beers Global Mining, Private Bag X01, Southdale 2135, South Africa; University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; South African Society of Travel Medicine, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Sub-Saharan Africa is a common destination for occupational travellers from South Africa. Adequate preventive measures require timeous medical consultation before travel. A secondary analysis of datasets of over 8000 occupational travellers who visited travel clinics in South Africa indicated that 82% were travelling to African countries and over 50% consulted less than a week before travel. For the 70% who consult less than 10 days before departure, yellow fever certificates issued at consultation would not be valid for entry to endemic countries, although they may be protected from contracting yellow fever. The 'last minute' travel medicine consultation appears to be more common in South Africa than in Europe and North America. This may preclude South African health professionals from providing occupational travellers adequate disease prevention, particularly against vaccine-preventable infectious diseases.

Published 23 June 2008 in Travel Med Infect Dis, 6(4): 187-9.
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