We know that next winter we will be visiting some countries in Africa. We already have some sections of next winter all set. We know we'll be visiting several countries which require proof of vaccination against Yellow Fever.
The WHO-authorized location to get vaccinated in Sri Lanka is at the Medical Research Institute in Colombo. At travel clinics in Vancouver, the price is at least CA$ 240 for the vaccine. Here, it costs the equivalent of CA$ 60 for foreign passport holders. We checked last week and learned that as this vaccine comes with five doses, they would require three others who will be travelling to African or South American destinations.
Jay said we should wait until after the 3-day weekend and give it a try. So this morning, he called and found out that two others had already arrived at the hospital. We tried to rush right after breakfast. However, the roads are absolutely horrendous during the morning rush hour. Luckily, we got a great tuk-tuk driver who was able to sneak in and out of traffic and the lights and always made it to the front of the line.
We got to the prescribed location within the hospital complex but found that the first full complement was already arranging payment. The receptionist did say that she knew that two others were on their way, so we might want to wait to see if they could do another batch.
It didn't take long before all the others in our new group were present. Next, we had to go across the street to a Bank of Ceylon branch to fill out paperwork and pay the SR 15,000 cost as foreign passport holders. For Sri Lankans requiring Yellow Fever vaccinations for work or travel, it is a few thousand rupees cheaper.
The bank was a mess, however our group dealt with the process as a team. Our other two fellows and a woman walked to the bank with us. It took at least 45 minutes before we were ready to come back with receipts after paying cash at the counter. It was a very complicated and time-consuming process.
We were the second batch of five and apparently Jay's idea of waiting until the day after the long weekend was wise A third group did the same after us.
The five of us had to wait, not only for the injection but also spend another twenty minutes afterwards to ensure no one had a severe reaction. We each now hold a new little yellow WHO-designed booklet. It is complete with a seal and documentation about our dose.
I had one of these yellow booklets in the 1980s. In Saudi Arabia, we had cholera and meningitis vaccinations. Jay still has his original copy somewhere at home.