Nigeria on Tuesday accused South Africa of flouting international health regulations by deporting 125 Nigerians it said possessed fake evidence of vaccination against yellow fever, a viral infection spread by mosquitoes.
Health minister Onyebuchi Chukwu suggested South Africa’s deportation of the Nigerians on March 3 was political and appealed to “other countries not to politicise health.”He said “the action of the South African Immigration on Nigerian travellers is certainly against international health regulations issued by the World Health Organisation 2005, section 32.”
The regulations require travelers from countries at risk of yellow fever to show an International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis—which is in turn required to procure travel visas.
“It is obviously very curious that a country that has issued entry visa to intending travelers, whose issuance was in the first place predicated on the presentation of a valid yellow card, will then turn around at the point of entry to deport those travelers,” Chukwu told a press briefing on Tuesday in Abuja.Fake visas?
The international certificate which serves as evidence of vaccination against yellow fever is known as a yellow card. Nigeria demands it of travellers from areas at risk of yellow fever.
It used to be issued by the epidemiology division, but since 1988 state, local government health officials and port services can issue the cards upon vaccination against yellow fever.
South Africa, along with Zimbabwe, India and Saudi Arabia, require Nigerians entering their territory to produce the card.
“If those travellers had fake yellow cards, the question will then be how come they possessed valid visas?”So far no country or individual or group has reported the possession of fake yellow card by anyone, said Chukwu.
Health minister Chukwu says South Africa "embarrassed" Nigerian travelers
Endemic to virus
Classification by the World Health Organisation indicates Nigeria is one of 44 countries with a risk of exposure to yellow fever virus.
But the health minister said “Nigeria is not endemic for yellow fever and there is no epidemic right now.”
The last confirmed case of yellow fever occurred in 1995 — some 17 years ago, prompting suggestion that the row between Nigeria and South Africa may be dragging health into politics.
Said Chukwu: “To the best of our knowledge there is absolutely no reason for these travellers to have been deported, and, in so doing, embarrassed and humiliated.”
Nigerian authorities have threatened to deport South African nationals in retaliation, denying at least 28 south Africans entry into Nigeria, according to reports, on grounds of invalid documents and relevant health certificate clearance.
.png)
