Fred Ezeh, Abuja

The Federal government has announced its plan to phase out the old version of yellow card and replace it with a newly introduced e-yellow card.

From July 1, the new e-yellow card would become the only valid documented proof of vaccination against yellow fever, Abdulaziz Mashi Abdullahi, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, said in a statement released in Abuja, on Friday.

Yellow fever, a viral haemorrhagic fever caused by a virus transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, is a potentially fatal illness but vaccine-preventable.

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Abdullahi said the new e-yellow card––otherwise known as International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP)––will address the issue of fake yellow cards which has hitherto been a source of national embarrassment.

He appreciated the enhanced security features in the new card which, he said, could be easily verified anywhere in the world by scanning the bar code or checking the card number on a portal.

He further disclosed that additional measures have been adopted at points of entry for the prevention and control of yellow fever, which involves the mandatory requirement of evidence of vaccination against Yellow fever on arrival in Nigeria.

He noted that some countries, including Nigeria, are endemic for yellow fever, and as such, travellers to such countries are at risk of exposure to infection by the yellow fever virus, hence, the mandatory vaccination against the disease.