Helping health professionals to fight yellow fever

News article 11 Feb 2014
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LSTM is today hosting a Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre (YFVC) course to provide training to health professionals who are mostly new to yellow fever vaccination and others who those re-applying for YFVC designation to be reinstated. The training programme involves face-to-face to sessions to develop an understanding of Yellow Fever (YF) epidemiology, clinical features and treatment, an understanding of international health regulations, vaccine information and the responsibilities necessary for health centres to become accredited YFVC.

Training is delivered by the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC), who promote standards in travel medicine, providing travel health information for health professionals and the public. LSTM is a founding member of NaTHNaC, hosting an office in Liverpool.

Yellow fever is a serious viral infection that's usually spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, mainly occurring in sub-Saharan Africa and South America . The mosquitoes live and breed in jungle and urban areas. There is a vaccination for yellow fever and some countries require proof of vaccination (a certificate) against yellow fever before they let you enter the country.

This training programme is accredited by the Royal College of Nursing Centre for Professional Accreditation and anyone interested in future training sessions can find out more and book here.

 

rcn accredited nathnac

 

Following a number of outbreaks, particularly in the Caribbean, Central and South America, in the early 20th century LSTM dispatched several expeditions and established a Yellow Fever Research Laboratory in Manaos, Brazil. One hundred years later, LSTM and Well Travelled Clinics are advising football fans travelling to England’s first World Cup game in Manaos, Brazil, to obtain a yellow fever vaccination before they travel.