Ensuring the Safety of Yellow Fever Vaccination in Travelers-The Experience at a Large U.S. Academic Medical Center in Colorado

• Published in: Tropical medicine and infectious disease 2020-07, Vol.5 (3), p.125
• Main Authors: Bandali, Mehdi, Schultz, Jonathan, Than, Kimlien, McGregor, Donna, Archuleta, Solana, Chadalawada, Sindhu, Mundo, William, Chastain, Daniel, Franco-Paredes, Carlos, Reno, Elaine, Henao-Martínez, Andrés F
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: health policy; travel medicine; yellow fever vaccine; yellow fever virus
• ISSN: 2414-6366; 2414-6366
• DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed5030125

Yellow fever (YF) virus has the potential to cause fatal outcomes among at-risk individuals visiting endemic areas. Vaccinating travelers who are at risk is necessary to prevent virus-related life-threatening complications. We lack data on the clinical features of persons seeking YF vaccination. We aim to describe the characteristics of a cohort of persons receiving the YF vaccine before travel. A retrospective analysis of 964 travelers receiving the YF vaccine (Stamaril ) from Oct 2016 to Jul 2019 was performed at the University of Colorado Hospital, U.S. Percentages, means, and standard deviations were calculated. A multivariate logistic regression model was built to evaluate the association between receiving YF vaccination less than 10 days before departure and visiting friends and relatives (VFR). The average age of the subjects was 39 ± 18 years with a range of nine months to 83 years. Persons who were 60 years of age and older represented 17%. Women consisted of 52%, and most of the travelers were Caucasians (64%). Travelers reported traveling to Africa (57%) or South America (40%). The primary destinations for travelers overall were Kenya (19%), Uganda (11%), and Tanzania (11%) in Africa; and Peru (14%) and Brazil (13%) in South America. The most common reasons for travel included leisure (44%), VFR (18%), and mission trips (10%). Comorbidities included a history of hematologic disorders (4%), HIV infection (2%), and diabetes mellitus (3%). The average duration between vaccine administration and travel was 43 days. Those VFR were two times more likely to receive the YF vaccination