Vaccination against yellow fever is required to prevent the importation of yellow fever virus into Jamaica where the disease does not occur but where the mosquito vector and human hosts are present.
Jamaica requires all travelers over one (1) year of age journeying from yellow fever risk countries to show proof of yellow fever vaccination by means of a valid yellow fever certificate
This also applies to all travelers transiting through countries with risk of transmission of yellow fever.
The certificate of yellow fever vaccination is valid for life, it should be administered at a yellow fever approved vaccination centre at least ten (10) days before travel; as the vaccine only offers adequate protection ten (10) days after administration.
Failure to produce a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate at a Jamaican point of entry may lead to refusal of entry, or quarantine until the traveler’s certificate is produced. Quarantine will not be longer than six (6) days.
Travellers who have an approved exemption certificate due to medical reasons will be allowed entry. They will be provided with a Health Alert Card and will be required to report fever or other symptoms daily to the health authorities. Ad hoc monitoring visits will be carried out on these visitors by the public health authorities.
The countries for which a yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for entry into Jamaica are based on the WHO advisory ANNEX 1 – UPDATE – AS OF 4 FEBRUARY 2016, Countries with risk of yellow fever transmission and countries requiring yellow fever vaccination. http://www.who.int/ith/2015-ith-annex1.pdf
The countries are: Angola, Argentina, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, French Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Suriname, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, and Venezuela.