A few days before we left for Colombia, our friend in Mexico was asking us how we got the yellow fever vaccine for Colombia, and we were shocked by the question. I (jer) got it a while back when I went to Ghana, but Dan wasn’t vaccinated yet and he needed to get it for Colombia! They say that if you’re just in the cities you’ll probably be fine without it, but we might go hiking or check out the mountains, so mild panic ensued: will it be easy to get? How much does it cost? Can we even get through customs if he doesn’t have it? It was a surprisingly easy solution, so we’ll break it down for you in case you’re ever in the same position.
Entering Colombia w/o the Yellow Fever Vaccine
As we boarded our flight, we honestly weren’t sure if we would get stopped at customs and asked about our Yellow Fever Vaccine, so we were just hoping for the best! Luckily, it wasn’t anything they asked us for. So, you can enter the country without a Yellow Fever Vaccine, but if you plan on going outside the cities at all, it’s highly recommended to get one, especially for the national parks.
Not to scare anyone, but Yellow Fever can get quite serious. Many people experience fever, headache, nausea, and vomiting which are all manageable, but the disease can get much more severe, causing heart, liver, and kidney problems. If you end up with the severe form of Yellow Fever, you could be one of the 50% of patients that dies. Needless to say, we didn’t want to F* around with getting Dan his vaccine.
Getting the Vaccine in Cartagena
If you decide to wait until you’re in Colombia to get the vaccine, it’s perfectly doable. Keep in mind that the vaccine takes 10 days to become effective, so plan your trip accordingly. We were directed by this blog and our hostel to visit a local health clinic run by The Department of Health, or DADIS. The clinic is tucked back in the neighborhood of Getsmani, which is a must-visit in Cartagena, so it wasn’t even too out of the way.
On our first try, we showed up at the address on google maps:
(DADIS DEPARTAMENTO ADMINISTRATIVO DISTRITAL DE SALUD,
Cra. 10b #25-10, Cartagena, Provincia de Cartagena, Bolívar)
and the guards at the front of that building directed us to a door down the side of the building on the perpendicular street. We went to that door and tried to open it and a bunch of women outside started yelling at us but we weren’t sure why.
We understood that we weren’t allowed to enter then and they told us to come back tomorrow. We weren’t visiting outside open hours, but such is life! We returned to our hostel and came back two days later. When we showed up this time, we walked in and it took about 30 minutes from start to finish. Incredibly quick!
They took Dan’s passport, gave him a number, and told him to wait. Eventually, one of the clinic nurses motioned for us to step into a room where Dan had to fill out a sheet with his information, another nurse administered the shot, and we were told he couldn’t drink alcohol for 24 hours. Easy peasy!
The Price of the YF Vaccine
When I got my vaccine (jer) a few years back, I remember it being incredibly costly compared to the other slew of travel vaccines I was getting at the time. Apparently, the vaccine is difficult to come by worldwide, and today, it can cost upwards of $300 to get it in the United States. Colombia has a socialized healthcare system that is incredibly advanced. It’s actually ranked higher than Canada on the world healthcare index! In Colombia, the vaccine was FREE. They didn’t ask for payment information at all, a passport was all that was needed.
Seamless Experience
We were stressed it would take hours (as we had heard it sometimes can) or be a confusing and stressful experience. However, we got the impression that the clinic was pretty used to foreign travelers stumbling in and needing their vaccine, so it wasn’t a big deal at all. If you have ten days after you enter the country and before you spend time in the forest, we highly recommend waiting until you’re in Colombia to get the vaccine. It’s easy and cheap, exactly what budget travelers are looking for!
Just curious if you have had any type of reaction to the vaccine?
Pingback: 50 Days Abroad - Jan's World Tour