Wednesday, April 24, 2024

SA officially clears Zambians from yellow fever certificates

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Yellow Fever Map as of 2005
Yellow Fever Map as of 2005

The South African government has officially announced that travellers from Zambia will no longer be required to produce proof of the Yellow Fever certificate when entering that country.

This follows the World Health Organisation’s listing of Zambia among low – risk Yellow Fever countries.

Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa Muyeba Chikonde who welcomed the announcement said that the information has been in the public domain following the earlier announcement by the World Health Organisation of reclassifying Zambia as a low-risk Yellow Fever country.

He said what was important is that the South African Government through its Ministry of Health has issued the statement and even gone further to inform all ports of entry about the development.

Mr Chikonde said Zambia was happy that the issue has finally come to a conclusion pointing out that the previous arrangement had negatively affected the tourism sector as well as contributed to increasing the cost of doing business for those entering South Africa.

The statement which was circulated to the diplomatic corps through the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation announced the categorising of Zambia as a low-risk country following the 136th session of the WHO Executive Board meeting held recently at which a review of countries with the risk of Yellow Fever transmission and those requiring vaccination was conducted.

In line with the International Health Regulations (2005) South Africa requires a valid Yellow Fever certificate from all citizens and non-citizens over one-year of age travelling from a Yellow Fever-risk country or having been in transit exceeding 12 hours through the airport of a country with the risk of Yellow Fever transmission.

This is contained in a statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka today by Press Secretary at the Zambian Mission in Pretoria Nicky Shabolyo.

7 COMMENTS

    • @Wanzelu, when did you start traveling to SA? This has been in force even during the Chiluba administration, for instance I got my first one in 2000 on my second visit there.

    • @Wanzelu, when did you start traveling to SA? This has been in force even during the Chiluba administration, for instance I got my first one in 2000 on my second visit there.

      I can’t remember it being required on my first trip to Jo’burg in 1998 though.

      And ba Mushota, this applied to anyone travelling from Zambia or any of the regions shown regardless of which passport you hold, coz the virus travels on the person and not the document one holds.

      The same would be done if a vaccine were to be found for Ebola. Those travelling from affected countries would be expected to show proof of having been inoculated which is what the yellow book was all about.

      Thanks.

  1. seemingly good movement; it will make a good number of us to easly cross their borders and keep a rational check on the capitalists!

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