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Yellow fever vaccine
Hi
My daughter had a BMT 6 years ago. She wants to go to Bolivia next year to visit her boyfriends family. I’ve been looking and some parts of Bolivia require yellow fever vaccine. This was a vaccine that we were told she couldn’t have. Just wondered if anyone has any experience or advice regarding this?
many thanks
Rach
Comments
Hi Rach
I am Rachel- Lead Nurse for Anthony Nolan. This forum is for peer support but I saw your post and wanted to give some advice as its such a specialist area. Its great that you recall the advice regarding vaccinations after BMT- on the whole the advice is not to have any live vaccines following BMT and where they are given (vaccines such as the MMR) it should not be until at least 2 years after BMT.
This is because in a live vaccine a very small/diluted amount of the virus is given to make the bodies immune system aware of it- in doing this the immune system is able to recognise and fight it if exposed to the virus again. If the immune system is weakened, as it is after BMT, it may not be able to mount an appropriate response to the vaccine.
I would advise your daughter speaking to her BMT team/specialist nurse as they will know her full history and whether additional immunosuppression has been needed over the past 6 years or if GvHD has been present etc- all these things will be factors to consider in how she is advised.
I hope that has been of some help to you.
Kind regards
Rachel
Hi Rach , I went to Brazil a few years ago and sought advice from my transplant team about yellow fever vaccination. I had to get an exemption certificate , I was about 18 years post transplant at the time .
Happy travelling, thanks Rachel Lead_Nurse explained a bit more for me
Ann xx