Yellow fever and malaria vaccinations

Posted , 6 users are following.

Good afternoon PMR sufferers and prednisone users. (It’s afternoon here in Arizona).  I am planning a trip in the near future which requires a malaria vaccine and recommends a yellow fever vaccination.  

Are there any any problems for me with these shots as a PMR patient who is taking prednisone (currently 10.0mg per day)?

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7 Replies

  • Posted

    It is a live attenuated vaccine - and they are usually not recommended for patients on immunosuppressants.

    https://www.iamat.org/risks/yellow-fever?gclid=Cj0KCQjw_7HdBRDPARIsAN_ltcJ9aQDPtscHDkqZCX7eb6x0DsWbNRO1h4R9DQY7oAFpAIfhlQNjIz0aAv_2EALw_wcB

    Some are regarded as OK for patients on low doses, defined usually as under 10mg, but it does vary from vaccine to vaccine.

    This is a realtively small study that suggests there isn't a problem:

    https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/acr.22021

    But you will have to check with experts - and that doesn't mean your GP! An infectious diseases hospital/centre would be better.

    • Posted

      I just re-read my travel documents and now understand more clearly what is needed. A yellow fever vaccine is [u]required[/u] and malaria prophylaxis is [u]recommended[/u]. I guess the malaria calls for preventive medication, not a vaccination.  

      Whatever, Eileen, your recommendation, as always, is a good one that I take seriously.  My next task is to find an infectious disease center.  I don’t imagine they would be in the telephone book under “Infectious Disease Centers.”

       

    • Posted

      They might be in google under infectious disease centres wink

      That's how I found the big one in London - working on the basis, if they didn't know, no-one would...

    • Posted

      Someone has just asked a similar question over on the HU forum. She contacted her rheumatologist, Dr Rod Hughes (who most of us think is the bees knees) and he says yellow fever and pred are fine. So is malaria prophylaxis - which it should be as they use an old antimalarial drug as a so-called steroid sparer sometimes.
    • Posted

      Just the fact that I am on a powerful immunosuppressant drug while being told by the travel company that I must have a live yellow fever virus injection, makes the whole thing a little dodgy in my opinion.  I’m not emotionally committed to this trip to the tropics, and, discretion being the better part of valor, I am going to cancel it.  (Don’t let my travel agent know, I haven’t told her yet.)
    • Posted

      Shame, but they do say discretion is the better part of valour!!! Patience...
  • Posted

    Hi Richard

     l have read that the yellow fever vaccination is ‘live’ and therefore should not be given to immunocompromised persons.

    ://www.hse.ie/eng/health/immunisation/hcpinfo/guidelines/chapter3.pdf

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