Reactions to Yellow Fever Vaccine
Reactions to yellow fever vaccine are generally mild. Vaccine recipients have reported mild headaches, myalgia, low-grade fevers, or other minor symptoms that may begin within days after vaccination and last 5-10 days.
Since 2001 there have been reports of rare but severe and sometimes fatal illness following receipt of yellow fever vaccine. Although reported in a very small proportion of approximately 500 million worldwide yellow fever vaccine recipients, those adverse events require further investigation.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are enhancing preexisting surveillance for yellow fever vaccine adverse events with special laboratory support.
Healthcare providers are encouraged to report adverse events that might be caused by yellow fever vaccination to the CDC/FDA Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) by one of the following methods:
- Submitting a report online at https://secure.vaers.org/VaersDataEntryintro.htm
- Printing a VAERS Form
(23K) and faxing or mailing it using information at http://www.vaers.org/contact.htm - Calling 1-800-822-7967
For more information, please see the following:
- Resources for Health Care Providers
- Special Testing for Selected Patients with Severe Adverse Events Potentially Related to Yellow Fever Vaccination
- CDC Travelers' Health site
Hayes EB. Acute viscerotropic disease following vaccnation against yellow fever. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2007 Oct:101(10):967-71.
Chan RC, Penney DJ, Little D, et al. Hepatitis and death following vaccination with 17D-204 yellow fever vaccine. Lancet 2001;358:121-2.
Martin M, Tsai TF, Cropp B, Chang GJ, et al. Fever and multisystem organ failure associated with 17D-204 yellow fever vaccination: a report of four cases. Lancet 2001;358:98-104.
Vasconcelos PF, Luna EJ, Galler R, et al. Serious adverse events associated with yellow fever 17DD vaccine in Brazil: a report of two cases. Lancet 2001;358:91-7.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Notice to readers: Fever, jaundice, and multiple organ system failure associated with 17D-derived yellow fever vaccination, 1996–2001. MMWR 2001;50:343-5. (Also available in PDF format [141 KB])
Content Source:
Division of Vector Borne Infectious Diseases
National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases