Yellow fever confusion persists at OR Tambo

DESPITE the South African
Department of Health
officially lifting the yellow
fever requirement for travel
between Tanzania and Zambia
and SA at the end of January,
travellers have reported that
immigration officials at OR
Tambo are still insisting on
seeing the certificate.
Andy Hogg, co-founder
of the Bushcamp Company
in Zambia, says on arrival
in South Africa last week,
immigration officials at
OR Tambo demanded that
he show his yellow fever
certificate before granting him
entry into the country. “At least
half of the people on my flight
were asked to produce the
certificate.”
Andy says immigration
officials were quite aggressive.
He says the official who
stopped him kept referring to
a laminated piece of paper
in her cubicle that outlined
that travellers from Zambia
still needed to have a yellow
fever certificate. However,
she wouldn’t allow Andy to
take a picture of the paper.
When he asked to speak to
a supervisor, the immigration
official refused.
Ade Coley, Safari Camp
owner at Flatdogs Camp, says
he has received feedback that
travellers are being stopped
at the airport with officials
requesting the yellow fever
certificate.
Dr. Lucille Blumberg, deputy
director at the National
Institute for Communicable
Diseases, reacted with
shock to the reports. “This is
concerning. It is an issue for
port health at the National
Department of Health to
respond to and manage.
Clearly, the messages with
regard to the changes
have not reached all.”
Spokesperson for the
National Department of
Health, Joe Maila, reacted with
disbelief to the reports and
assured TNW he would launch
an immediate and thorough
investigation into the matter.
He said he would ensure that
the protocol stipulating that
the yellow fever certificate
was no longer required for
these destinations would be
circulated once again.