Yellow fever vaccine: Is it mandatory?

Vaccination against yellow fever:
Is it mandatory WHEN TRAVELING to Curaçao?

Yellow fever is a severe infectious disease transmitted by mosquito bites. This disease can cause hemorrhages, jaundice and fever. For this reason, it has been called “yellow fever”. The virus can present itself either as a mild flu-like illness or as a severe and often fatal form of the disease. In this case, the liver and kidneys are affected with hemorrhages from all orifices of the body.

Because the mortality rate due to yellow fever is high, many countries have chosen to protect their population by requiring tourists from high-risk areas to present proof that they have been vaccinated. But how do you know if you need to have the yellow fever vaccine to travel to Curaçao?

In general, it is NOT necessary to be vaccinated to enter Curaçao, UNLESS you live or have been in a country where there is a high risk of yellow fever, up to 6 months before arriving to our island. In this case, you must present proof of vaccination at least 10 days before arriving on the island. The most common high-risk areas are tropical and rainforest areas.

Here is what you should know if you are traveling to Curaçao and do not know if you need this vaccine:

DATA n. 1: no yellow fever virus in curaçao

If you are traveling from Curaçao, you will probably not need to present this vaccine. However, if you are coming to Curaçao from an area with yellow fever, vaccination may be MANDATORY.

DATA n. 2: WHICH ARE THOSE HIGH RISK AREAS?

If you live, have traveled or have been in transit in any of these areas, you will probably be asked for proof of vaccination against yellow fever. To be on the safe side, in these cases you should first check with your travel agency or airline before traveling to Curaçao whether you will need to present proof of vaccination to come to Curaçao:

– From Africa: Angola, Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Sudan, South Sudan, Togo.
– From Central America: French Guyana, Guyana, Suriname.
– From South America: Paraguay or Amazon rainforest in Brazil.

Tip: It is important to keep in mind that in many cases, before entering Curaçao some travelers make a stopover in other countries, such as Colombia or Panama. Therefore, it is worthwhile to inquire about transit requirements in those countries as well. This should be checked with your travel agent or airline.