If you travelling to Kenya, you will require both Yellow Fever and Oral Polio Vaccination.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, requires Indian residents travelling to Polio infected countries to receive a dose of one Oral Polio Vaccine atleast four weeks before departure. This requirement was issued effective March 1, 2015.
However, the website of Bureau of Immigration says there is no health check up requirement by Indian Government for passengers leaving India. Passengers departing to Yellow Fever endemic countries are advised to take vaccination in their own interest. However, persons arriving in India from Yellow Fever endemic countries need to carry a Yellow Fever vaccination certificate, else they could be kept in quarantine for upto 6 days.
The Yellow Fever endemic countries are largely in Africa(major exclusions are Egypt and South Africa) and South America. Polio infected countries are Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria.
Kenya is common in both the lists and hence Indian residents travelling to Kenya should carry both Yellow Fever and Oral Polio Vaccination certificates.
Where to receive Oral Polio and Yellow Fever vaccine in Bengaluru
Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV)
OPV is given only at Dasappa Hospital located on SJP Road, opposite Town Hall. This hospital is managed by BBMP. If you are travelling in a car, better park at Town Hall or Unity Buildings. Two wheelers should be able to manage parking inside the premises.
Timing
The vaccination is given only on Wednesdays and Saturdays, between 10.30 am and 1.30pm. Closed on public holidays and on Second and Fourth Saturdays (following Government of Karnataka). If Wednesday is a holiday, OPV will be given on Thursday. But good to call and check. There is no need to take prior appointment.
Fee, documents and process
There is no charge for OPV. Only original passport is required to be carried. The certificate specifically says OPV for international travellers and is valid for a year. There were no specific instruction on gap to be left between the administration of drops and partaking solids/liquids.
The overall process was very quick. I was given the drops and immediately issued the certificate-all within 10 minutes. Don’t forget to check the particulars on the certificate.
The staff is quite helpful. If you have have doubts, call Ms Manjula at 77600 89567.
Yellow Fever vaccine(YF vaccine)
YF vaccine is only given at Public Health Institute located on Seshadri Road, opposite S J Polytechnic, near K R Circle. Public Health Institute is housed in an old building and shares the compound with other government offices. There is limited parking available for both 2 and 4 wheelers.
Timing and process
YF vaccination is now given Monday to Friday between 10.30am and 12.30 pm. Closed on public holidays(Government of Karnataka holidays). There is no need for prior appointment but if you have doubts, call 080-2211 0248.
Vaccination is given in groups of 2,4,5,7 and 10. This appears to correspond to the size of the vials and to ensure no wastage of vaccine. Only 0.5ml of vaccine is injected and they use disposable syringes. You will normally have to wait until minimum batch sizes are reached. When I went, there were 3 of us and we waited for half an hour until 12.45pm when the 4th person walked in! Even otherwise, I did overhear staff saying we should anyway be given vaccine. So I guess they are prepared to let a bit of vaccine go waste. Overall, it took me a little more than an hour to collect the certificate and walk out.
Fees and documents
In terms of documents, only the original passport is required. The yellow colored(what else!) certificate is valid for life and hence do preserve it.
Vaccination becomes effective after 10 days. The vaccination charges are INR 400 and has to be paid in cash. I was told some private hospitals charge far more but it is unclear if their certificate is accepted by Immigration Authorities.
The staff was quite helpful I must say. If you are allergic to egg protein or are HIV positive, you should not take this vaccine. Even after taking the vaccine, do watch for any adverse allergic reaction.
My experience with Immigration at the airports wrt vaccination
At Mumbai International airport, I was not asked about vaccination either at the time of departure or at the time of arrival. At Nairobi International Airport also, no questions about vaccination were asked at the time of departure to India. It is my understanding that Kenya has no requirement for vaccination for passengers arriving from India.
This does not mean you should take a chance and avoid vaccination. For your own safety, better to get vaccinated. Even otherwise, the Immigration Authorities in India have asked passengers(maybe not all) about vaccination and you don’t want to be denied travel because you thought they will not ask!
