Yellow Fever Vaccine Shortage Produces Traveler Frustrations

If you are planning to visit a country battling the Yellow Fever virus, you may need to schedule your vaccination appointment sooner, versus later.

Since there is no Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved antiviral medications against Yellow Fever (YF) virus, vaccination is the best pre-travel preventive tactic.

New research is suggesting people schedule a yellow fever immunization appointment 2 months in advance of international travel.

Why?

Manufacturing problems at Sanofi Pasteur have resulted in depletion of YF-VAX in the United States. YF-VAX is the only FDA approved vaccine.

As a result of this inventory shortage, Sanofi Pasteur has worked with the FDA to import another 17D-204 vaccine from France, Stamaril.

The Stamaril vaccine, which is currently available in 70 countries worldwide, has an efficacy profile similar to YF-VAX.

But, according to this new research, even with this imported vaccine the US can not keep up with consumer demand for the Yellow Fever vaccination.

Consequently, fractional dosing of YF vaccine was proposed as an alternative strategy.

But, fractional dosing of YF-VAX is not recommended in the USA because there is limited efficacy data available.

Consequently, these researchers are suggesting people who are contemplating traveling to YF-endemic areas should schedule a vaccination appointment at least 2 months before departure.

Moreover, physicians and pharmacists should begin referring their patients to YF vaccination centers asap ….. given potential vaccine shortages.

International travelers may find locations that can administer STAMARIL vaccine by visiting this CDC web page.

Providers and patients may also visit the CDC Travelers' Health for information about which countries require yellow fever vaccination for entry.

Vaccine discounts can be found at this webpage.

Corresponding Author: Lin H. Chen, MD, FACP, FASTMH, FISTM, Harvard Medical School and Mount Auburn Hospital. All authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Dr Chen is an advisor for Shoreland, Inc, serves on the ACIP Flavivirus Work Group, and directs a Stamaril EAP site. No other disclosures were reported.