GUIDELINE ON THE PREVENTION OF IMPORTATION OF YELLOW FEVER INTO THE REPUBLIC OF MALDIVES IN-LINE WITH THE INTERNATIONAL HEALTH REGULATION (IHR 2005) AT POINT OF ENTRIES (POEs).

Yellow Fever remains the only disease specifically designated under the IHR (2005) for which proof of vaccination may be required for travellers as a condition to entry to the Republic of Maldives. In terms of IHR (2005) countries are to treat travelers with respect for their dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms and minimize any discomfort to distress associated with such measures, including:

a)    treating all travellers with courtesy and respect;

b)    taking into consideration the gender, socio-cultural, ethnic or religious concerns of travelers; and

c)    providing or arranging, where appropriate, for adequate food, water, appropriate accommodation, clothing, protection for baggage and other possessions, appropriate medical treatment, means of necessary communication if possible in a language that they can understand, other appropriate assistance for travellers who are quarantined, isolated or subjected to medical examinations or other procedures for public health purposes.

Scope:

This document applies to procedures that need to be followed in implementing the Yellow Fever prevention policy and is applicable to all travellers and responsible port authorities.

This document serves to highlight procedures regarding surveillance and monitoring of travellers coming into the Republic of Maldives from or transiting from a Yellow Fever risk country and to ensure a uniform approach in the implementation of the guideline for the Prevention of Yellow Fever Importation into the Republic of Maldives.

Procedure:

If a traveller is coming from a Yellow Fever risk country (regardless of whether the area is a Low or High risk area), the following instructions need to be followed/imposed simultaneously with the collection of Health declaration documents.

 (A) For entry into Maldives:

Passengers (Locals and Foreigners), (excluding infants below nine months) arriving by air or sea without a valid Yellow Fever vaccination certificate will be kept in quarantine isolation or under mandatory health surveillance with self-reporting for a period up to 6 days if the passenger:

a)     arrives into Maldives within 6 days’ time after departure/transit from a Yellow Fever endemic area.

b)   has come on a ship which has started from or transited at any port in a Yellow Fever endemic country within 30 days of arrival in Maldives provided such ship has not been disinfected in accordance with the procedure laid down by WHO.

c)   Presents with signs and symptoms of Yellow Fever either definite or with a pertinent travel history.

(B) For leaving Maldives:

Currently, there is no mandatory health requirement by Maldivian government on passengers leaving Maldives. Should there be any international concern of health it is always subjected to immediate preventive measures.

Persons leaving for a Yellow Fever endemic area are advised in their own interest to get vaccinated and to acquire a valid Yellow Fever vaccination certificates before they leave the country.

Persons exempted from presenting the Yellow Fever vaccination certificate on arrival:

• Infants below the age of nine-months,
• Any person who is suffering from some chronic illness and is immunocompromised and has a waiver medical document,
• Crews and passengers of an aircraft transiting through an airport located in Yellow Fever endemic area provided that the Health Officer is satisfied that such persons remained within the transiting airport premises during the period of stay which, should not exceed 12 hours.

Countries regarded as Yellow Fever endemic:

The following countries are regarded as Yellow Fever endemic: (*list is subjected to change, please refer to WHO’s website link provided in last page of this document)

Africa:
Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cote d' Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau,  Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, South Sudan,Togo, Uganda.

South America:
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad (Trinidad only), Venezuela, Panama, Paraguay, Peru.

Additional Information:

• A Yellow Fever vaccination certificate should be issued by a government/ government recognized institution.
• The validity period of international certificate of Yellow Fever vaccination is for life-time.
• Yellow Fever vaccines approved by WHO provide protection against infection starting 10 days following the administration of the vaccine.
  • Valid international certificate of vaccination against Yellow Fever should conform to the certificate requirements of IHR (2005), Annex 7 (yellow fever). (link given below #3). Requirement includes document to be in any language together with English or French, numerical and dates in English, authorized stamps, initials, contact information etc.
  • Before considering vaccination, it is the responsibility of the individual to learn about the vaccine-associated risks and adverse events.
  • The Health Protection Agency (HPA) of Maldives is currently undergoing the process of strengthening the prevention of importation communicable diseases of international concern at the points of entry by facilitating quarantine procedures and penalizing the individuals who violate the health requirements.

Reference and Important Links:

1-     World Health Organization (WHO), International Travel Health country list; https://www.who.int/ith/ith_country_list.pdf

2-     Department: International Relations and Corporation, Republic of South Africa: http://www.dirco.gov.za/consular/2013/Yellow Fever_fever0806.pdf

International Health Regulation (2005), Annex 7 (yellow fever): https://www.who.int/ith/annex7-ihr.pdf