Yellow fever vaccination requirement to enter Thailand

[Alotoftravel]

An American friend is coming to Thailand for a 3  days visit but is concerned that she be denied entry.

her passport will show the following :

she  plans to go Kenya first for a Safari  ( yellow fever designated epidemic area)  and then to Philippines for 5 days before arriving to Thailand .
Thailand requires a yellow fever vaccination to enter but she has an issue with this vaccination and has certified medical record to prove she cannot take this vaccine (it is on the WHO vaccination paper ) 

 

What  can she do to find out that she can enter Thailand  with that certificate ( no yellow fever vaccine ) or avoid quarantine in Thailand since it is only for 5 days visit . Strange that Philippines does not require yellow fever vaccine nor is japan where she will be going after Thailand . Thanks for your help 

[FritsSikkink]

Why is she going to a yellow fever designated epidemic area when she can't have the vaccine?

[FriendlyFarang]

48 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

Why is she going to a yellow fever designated epidemic area when she can't have the vaccine?

Maybe she wants to win the Darwin Award.

[AgMech Cowboy]

4 hours ago, Alotoftravel said:

Thailand requires a yellow fever vaccination to enter

Except for COVID, I've never been asked for any vaccination documentation.  My old yellow colored vaccination record book was lost in 1997.

[BritTim]

Kenya is a little bit of a special case. Some parts of the country involve no risk of Yellow Fever infection. The remaining areas have little risk. When entering many countries, the authorities will take this into account in cases like your friend's, but probably not Thailand. Usually, the only exception to the vaccination requirement when travelling from a country with any risk of exposure is if the person is less than nine months old. Nevertheless, if your friend can prove that she only visited areas that are free from Yellow Fever, the airport health authorities might clear her.

[Srikcir]

Maybe it's too late, but why not just reverse your order of travel, ie., Kenya last?

[The Fugitive]

3 hours ago, AgMech Cowboy said:

Except for COVID, I've never been asked for any vaccination documentation.  My old yellow colored vaccination record book was lost in 1997.

Where have you travelled from (or via?). There are clear signs in Suvaranabhumi international arrival area that travellers arriving from Africa and South America (no countries mentioned so presumably the whole of both continents) are required to produce proof of Yellow Fever vaccination. I once flew from Paraguay via Morocco and queued with passengers from Argentina with everyone clutching their yellow books.

[james512]

I was asked to show a yellow book to an airline in Brazil earlier this year when I was traveling back to Thailand.   My vaccination had actually expired even though it’s considered good for life these days.  They were not going to let me board the plane without it, so lucky I had the book.  They didnt care when I got to Thailand though but I got a booster anyway when I could so the book it up to date now.

[The Fugitive]

25 minutes ago, james512 said:

I was asked to show a yellow book to an airline in Brazil earlier this year when I was traveling back to Thailand.   My vaccination had actually expired even though it’s considered good for life these days.  They were not going to let me board the plane without it, so lucky I had the book.  They didnt care when I got to Thailand though but I got a booster anyway when I could so the book it up to date now.

Thanks for that James. Thailand most definitely want to see proof of Yellow Fever jab if arriving from South America or Africa. Also, if you have transitted and remained in an endemic country for 12 hours or more whilst on your journey. You already know that Yellow Fever originally had a 10 year validity period that was abolished in 2016 (this applies retrospectively). I have my yellow book from 2009 and it's been accepted without question beyond 2019.

[Alotoftravel]

Thanks for your replies . I will relay these to my friend .

After Kenya , the flight to Philippines might even raise some concerns. Not sure about Philippines. , let alone to Thailand after Philippines .

[MajorTom]

I was traveling frequently between Brazil and Thailand for several years. Never had to show the yellow fever vaccine. Not at check-in. Not in Thailand. 30+ trips.

[The Fugitive]

1 hour ago, MajorTom said:

I was traveling frequently between Brazil and Thailand for several years. Never had to show the yellow fever vaccine. Not at check-in. Not in Thailand. 30+ trips.

Did you ask why? I would've. Assuming you always carried your up-to-date certificate of course.  

[Pink Mist]

Troll post removed

[JackGats]

How did she get into Kenya without the yellow fever vaccine?

[KhunLA]

I personally wouldn't chance it, not for a short 5 day visit in TH.

 

If I was the IO, I'd deny or send to quarantine.   Along with being quite miffed that I handled your PP before finding out you didn't have the vaccine already.  Since arriving only a week after possible exposure.

 

I'll take exposure to covid any day over yellow fever.

 

"People who do get sick will start having symptoms (e.g., fever, chills, headache, backache, and muscle aches) 3–6 days after they are infected. About 12% of people who have symptoms go on to develop serious illness: jaundice, bleeding, shock, organ failure, and sometimes death."

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/diseases/yellow-fever#:~:text=People who do get sick,organ failure%2C and sometimes death.

Edited May 31, 2023 by KhunLA