Yellow fever pre-vaccination checklist updated

Updates to the pre-vaccination checklist have been made in line with the new 'green book' yellow fever chapter

The yellow fever pre-vaccination checklist has been updated in line with the 'green book' immunisation against infectious disease, yellow fever chapter 35. Edits have been made to the supporting text on pages 3 and 4 including:

• new wording highlighting those with an ongoing allergy to egg may need to be assessed by a trained allergy specialist or immunologist and vaccinated in a hospital setting
• new wording on open chest surgery and possible removal of the thymus gland
• minor edit to the section on first degree family members with history of serious adverse reaction to yellow fever vaccine to clarify meaning.

Advice for health professionals

Staff working in designated yellow fever vaccination centres (YFVCs) should ensure they are using the updated version.

The checklist has been produced by the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) and Public Health Scotland (PHS) in accordance with the recommendations in the Commission on Human Medicine's Expert Working Group report.

The checklist is a tool designed to:

• help the healthcare professional risk assess a person's suitability for yellow fever vaccination.
• it does not replace the broader individual risk assessment in the travel health consultation.
• be completed by the person travelling in advance of, or during, the travel health consultation.
• but must be carefully reviewed by the advising healthcare professional as part of a shared decision-making process for yellow fever vaccination.

The checklist and instructions for using the interactive PDF document can be found on TravelHealthPro and the Yellow Fever Zone.