Monday/ your yellow fever vaccination?

I am all re-assembled after the TSA security check – cell phone, watch, belt, shoes, jacket. A little earlier at the check-in counter I ran into a little obstacle.  The Air Canada agent said  ‘Your yellow fever vaccination documentation, please’ .. this after staring at her monitor for a few minutes (you just know something is up).  Of course I did not have one.  I was not even checked in yet – booked the ticket through United Airlines, and I found out last night that Air Canada allows on-line check-in from some US cities, but not from Seattle.  Anyway – I said ‘Well, I travel to South Africa every year and it’s never been a requirement’ before another agent came to my rescue and confirmed that it’s just a guideline and the traveler’s responsibility.

What is yellow fever anyway?  It’s a viral infection transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito.The majority of persons infected with yellow fever virus have no illness or only mild illness, but some 15% of cases progress to a severe form that can cause jaundice and bleeding and organ failure.   Darfur in Sudan has one of Africa’s worst epidemics in decades, with a total of 732 cases and 165 deaths.