Yellow fever: Second international vax centre kick-starts its operations

VIJAYAWADA: The second International Vaccination Centre started its services with the initiative of Andhra Pradesh government to administer vaccine for Yellow fever.As of now, around 52 centres are located in the country and the only centre in AP is situated at Port Hospital in Visakhapatnam for all the African-bound travellers.

This has become trouble to the people of Rayalaseema and Prakasam districts. Therefore, the Department of Health and Family Welfare opened another centre at Government General Hospital (GGH) in Vijayawada.

GGH Superintendent B Sowbhagya Lakshmi on Tuesday inaugurated the centre and around eight members received the vaccine.The passengers those who travel across Yellow fever virus pandemic countries (countries where Yellow Fever disease is persisting) are required to have a vaccination certificate, issued by authorised and designated centres in India.

If not the traveller has to be in quarantine till YF certificate becomes valid or until a period of six days. According to World Health Organisation updated list (May 2021), the Yellow Fever Endemic Countries were 30 in Africa and 13 in central as well as South America.

J Nivas Commissioner of Health Medical & Family Welfare and Mission Director NHM said that the response to the centre is good as tourists started registering for vaccination, as most of the countries are insisting for Yellow Fever Vaccination.

Superintendent Sowbhagya Lakshmi informed that the requisites should register online by uploading their passports to yfvcsmcggh@gmail.com mail and should pay Rs 500 to the account number 99991234566999. The timings of the centre are 10.00 am to 4.00 pm on all working days, she added.