Vaccination is the most important measure for preventing yellow fever. Yellow fever vaccine is safe, affordable, and a single dose provides life-long protection against yellow fever disease. The yellow fever vaccine provides immunity within one week in 95% of people vaccinated. A booster dose is not needed.

Yellow fever vaccination is carried out for the following reasons:

• to protect populations living in areas at high-risk or endemic for yellow fever disease;
• to protect travelers visiting these areas; and,
• to prevent international spread by minimizing the risk of importation of the virus to unaffected areas

All currently available yellow fever vaccines are live and attenuated formulations. Vaccines from four manufacturers are currently prequalified by WHO.

Yellow fever vaccination strategies & access in high risk areas:

Yellow fever control is based on the prevention of outbreaks, and this can only be achieved if most of the population (recommended ≥80% of eligible population) is immunized in all high risk and endemic areas.

It is recommended that the yellow fever vaccine be given to infants at age 9–12 months at the same time as the measles vaccine in yellow fever-endemic countries. All countries with areas at risk of yellow fever disease should aim to reach and sustain high coverage through routine immunization services. High risk countries are recommended to establish a timeline for introduction if the vaccine has not yet been introduced. Countries at-risk of yellow fever that are establishing and strengthening immunization in the second year of life (2YL) and beyond should consider yellow fever vaccination of children missed in the first year of life.

During yellow fever epidemics, reactive vaccination campaigns are carried out with minimal delay to limit the spread of the disease. There is a global emergency yellow fever vaccine stockpile of 6 million doses (rotating stock) per year funded through Gavi. The stockpile is managed through the International Coordinating Group (ICG) for vaccine provision for yellow fever. To request access to ICG stocks, national or international health authorities should submit an application form to the ICG Secretariat (WHO Geneva), or to an ICG member agency (IRFC, MSF, UNICEF) present in the country.

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