By Ben Hurst
Holidaymakers have been alerted to a disruption in the supply of a crucial vaccine, which is expected to be ‘unavailable’ for the next 2-3 weeks. Sanofi has informed NaTHNaC that there will be a shortage of the yellow fever vaccine Stamaril in the UK. The Foreign Office’s Travel Health Pro website reported today that the vaccine is anticipated to be out of stock for 2-3 weeks. NaTHNaC (National Travel Health Network and Centre) is a UK organisation dedicated to safeguarding the health of British travellers. This means individuals travelling to certain regions globally will not be able to receive vaccination against this potentially deadly disease. The NHS warns: “Yellow fever is a serious infection spread by mosquitoes. It’s found in certain areas of Africa and South and Central America. You should have a yellow fever vaccination if you’re travelling to an area where there’s a risk of getting it. Yellow Fever is a potentially fatal disease transmitted by mosqjuitos and turns wee dark, causes serious stomach pain, yellows the skin and eyes and bleeding from the eyes, nose, mouth or stomach – serious cases can be fatal.The Foreign Office site said: “. Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania, Benin, Ethiopia, Niger, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Nigeria, Burundi, Gambia, the Senegal, Cameroon, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Central African Republic, Guinea, South Sudan, Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Sudan, Congo, Republic of Kenya, Togo, Cote d鈥橧voire, Liberia, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mal Argentina, French Guiana, Suriname, Bolivia, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago (Trinidad only), Brazil, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Paraguay, Ecuador, Peru The Foreign Office site said: “Where a Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre (YFVC) is unable to provide Yellow Fever vaccine during this vaccine shortage, the YFVC is expected to proactively research alternative supplies in their locality and direct travellers accordingly (this should be done for travellers who ring for advice and for travellers who attend for face to face consultation if vaccination is required promptly). “YFVCs will help travellers seeking YF vaccine at this time of vaccine shortage by: You can get yellow fever if you’re bitten by an infected mosquit o. The mosquitoes that carry the yellow fever virus bite during the day. Yellow fever is very common in certain parts of the world, including: Yellow fever is not found in the UK, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand or the Pacific Islands. If you’re travelling to an area where yellow fever is found, there are some things you can do to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. Yellow fever symptoms usually start 3 to 6 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito, but sometimes they can take longer to appear. Some yellow fever symptoms are similar to flu, such as: These symptoms often last 3 or 4 days. But a small number of people get more serious symptoms within 24 hours of feeling better. More serious symptoms include: These more serious symptoms can be fatal. For more information from the NHS on yellow feve r click here.