Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Yellow Fever Vaccine?!

So as I'm sure most of you know  when you travel somewhere you need to check to see which immunizations you need in the new country. As Chris Mike and I are checking it out we get the usually Typhoid, and Hep shots. Yellow fever is one though that is very very expensive but is necessary in some African countries. After some research and information from  multiple sources it was not required for Kenya, but wouldn't hurt to get if for whatever reason we had to flee the country and enter a country that required it.  Yellow fever is a vaccine where you need a verification card that says you got it and some countries will not let you in unless you have the verification card. Now I already had mine from a previous trip, Chris decided to get it to be safe, Mike on the other hand chose not to get it because it was not a required vaccination and it was very expensive. Had I been in Mikes shoes I wouldn't have gotten it either.

Now. Today we are at the Kenya airport checking in to leave Kenya and fly to our connecting flight in Johannesburg, South Africa. The attendant asks for our yellow fever vaccination card. Mike does not have one. She states it is required to leave Kenya and fly to South Africa. We try to tell her we are only there for one hour to switch flights, but no you must have it. Shoot. Ok so we walk across the street and upstarts to the Kenyan port health office. We wait in line. Mike and I ate KFC earlier and Chris is starving so she goes back to the airport to grab something to eat and we will meet her at the gate. Finally its Mike's turn.

Mike is standing at the desk for a while and I start to get nervous outside so I walk in. The Kenyan officer just keeps saying over and over how he is going to stay in Kenya for 10 more days because that is how long you have to wait for the vaccine to be effective. OMG. Ok so Chris has all the phone numbers and contact info for Millie's family. My head is racing with ideas on what to do. The officer is talking about how he should have googled it, and how is it that I have mine and Mike doesn't have his. He then says the vaccine will be 1,500 ksh but "hopes we have more on us." Ok how much do I have? Probably not enough. Crap. We keep telling him we can't stay 10 more days but he keeps replying I don't have to stay but Mike does. Mike asks if he's kidding. He replies "what do you think."  I'm freaking out at this point. Not a clue what to do. I guess if worst came to worst I could go and track Chris down in the airport grab the numbers, and have Kevin come back and pick us up....The officer hands Mike a receipt and has him pay the 1,500 ksh. He WAS kidding thank god! Mike goes to get his shot and comes back. They have to back date his verification card to May 30th so he can pass through South Africa.

WooHoo we will make it to America!

No comments:

Post a Comment