India has issued a mandatory Yellow Fever certificate requirement for 42 nationals including Ugandans, before entering the Asian country.
Ministry of Internal Affairs spokesperson, Simon Mundeyi said the requirement is for travelers aged 9 months and above from any of the 42 yellow fever endemic countries, including Uganda.
“This means that travelers from Uganda to India must have a valid Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate issued by an authorized Yellow Fever vaccination center. Failure to provide this certificate will result in a quarantine period of up to six days at designated facilities in India,” Mundeyi said.
In the travel advisory, India said Yellow Fever is transmitted by infected mosquitoes prevailing in tropical areas of South America and Africa, noting that the disease is neither endemic to India nor have established transmission of the disease but noted there is significant risk of importation.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs spokesperson noted that the Yellow Fever certificate becomes valid 10 days after vaccination which means travelers must be vaccinated at least 10 days before their departure for India.
“Most Ugandans go to India for medical treatment and go on strict budget. This means if you are put in quarantine, the money to be used for upkeep and treatment will be spent on quarantine. “To avoid the inconvenience of quarantine, we strongly advise all Ugandan travelers to India to strictly adhere to these measures,” Mundeyi urged.