By The Hair Of My Chinny Chin Chin

My uncle Herman has been traveling in Utah for the past two weeks and got back into town yesterday. We've been waiting for him, so we can all go get our Yellow Fever Vaccinations together.

Yesterday afternoon, I casually called the Travel doctor that is 2 minutes from me to get us scheduled. I mean, how many people travel to South America in the Winter? Apparently, a lot. They're booked for Yellow Fever Vaccines for the next two weeks.

She goes on to tell me that it is now considered a RARE vaccine and they wait until they have 5 people to share a 5-dose vial.

I leave in 14 days. I need to have the vaccine in my system for 10 days for it to be effective.

I called another doctor at Vanderbilt University. They have none. Zero.

Fuckity.

They give me another doctor to call that's at Fisk University. He's the only other one in town. I call. Get cut off. Call back. Put on hold. Get returned to the operator. Put on hold some more. Finally, the original operator returns.

They can get us in next Monday. Exactly 10 days before we arrive in Bolivia where we must have a Yellow Fever Vaccination Record to enter the country.

Whew.

Since I'll be on the brink of being immune, I looked up Yellow Fever on The World Health Orgnization's website. This is the actual picture from their site. Am I going blind? Or is this the crappiest pic on the planet for YF transmission patterns?


What is Yellow Fever, you wonder? Here's how the WHO describes it:

Yellow fever (YF) is a viral haemorrhagic fever transmitted by infected mosquitoes.

Yellow fever can be recognized from historic texts stretching back 400 years. Infection causes a wide spectrum of disease, from mild symptoms to severe illness and death. The "yellow" in the name is explained by the jaundice that affects some patients, causing yellow eyes and yellow skin.

Oh, and guess where else we may be going? Paraguay, of course!

NEW information from WHO:

A small outbreak of yellow fever occurred in Paraguay in early 2008. This is the first outbreak since 1974. All the confirmed cases reported by the national health auntorities come from a rural area of San Pedro Department in central east Paraguay. WHO now recommends yellow fever vaccination for all travellers to affected areas in Paraguay.