By Bre McAdam

Yellow Fever vaccine shortage affecting Saskatoon travellers

Jan 22, 2014 | 5:32 AM

Many people in Saskatchewan have been consumed with the recent influenza vaccine shortage, but there's another type of vaccine shortage affecting international travellers in Saskatoon.

There's been a temporary production delay in the Yellow Fever vaccine since December, causing a shortage across North America. In order to conserve the vaccine, only people going to countries with a high risk of the mosquito-carrying disease are guaranteed to receive the shot.

“For example, Ethiopia. There is currently an outbreak of Yellow Fever in the Horn of Africa,” said Dr. Michael Schwandt, deputy medical health officer with the Saskatoon Health Region.

He speaks for the health region's International Travel Centre, the only designated Yellow Fever centre in Saskatoon where travellers must book appointments to find out if they qualify for the vaccine.

Schwandt said the criteria for what constitutes a country as “high-risk” is determined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Yellow Fever exists in tropical regions of Central and South America, as well as parts of Africa and Asia, but the risk levels differ from country to country.

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“And if a traveller is unable to receive the vaccine and still travels to that location, that's a decision they're making,” Schwandt said.

He adds that it's still important for people to consult the International Travel Centre to see if they require any other vaccines or anti-malarial medication.

If travellers require a Yellow Fever vaccination certificate in order to enter a specific country, the health region will provide a medical waiver free of charge.

“And that is to say that the risk related to the vaccine is higher than the benefit, and this is only for those places where there is a low risk of Yellow Fever but our clients still require evidence of vaccination in order to enter those countries,” Schwandt said.

The health region expects the vaccine supply to be replenished by the end of the month. In the meantime, it's asking people with travel dates further into the future to reschedule their appointment, which would free up vaccines for those travelling in the interim.

Schwandt said this type of vaccine shortage is pretty unusual.

“Because the Public Health Agency of Canada, with respect to Yellow Fever, is only involved in certifying clinics that are able to give the vaccine, and Health Canada is involved with regulating the quality of the vaccine, there's nothing really that our national bodies are able to do in terms of prompting this. So this is really in the hands of the manufacturer,” he said.

The vaccine is manufactured in France by Sanofi Pasteur. The company could not be reached in time for publication to explain the reason for the production delay.

When there isn't a vaccine shortage, Schwandt said anyone travelling to a country where Yellow Fever is present can purchase the vaccine for $180.

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