A Single Dose of Yellow Fever Vaccine Provides Long-Term Immunity in Japanese Travelers

TL;DR

A single dose of yellow fever vaccine provides long-term immunity in Japanese adults, eliminating the need for booster shots.

Contribution

This study confirms long-term immunity from a single yellow fever vaccine dose in Japanese adults, a previously unexamined population.

Findings

All participants remained seropositive for yellow fever antibodies for up to 26 years after vaccination.

There was no correlation between time since vaccination and antibody levels, indicating durable immunity.

The findings suggest booster vaccinations are unnecessary for Japanese adults who received a single dose.

Abstract

Yellow fever (YF) is an acute hemorrhagic zoonotic disease that causes severe liver damage, renal failure, and hemorrhagic shock. No antiviral treatment is available; thus, vaccination is a critical preventive measure. Although the World Health Organization (WHO) revised the guidelines regarding the need for booster vaccination for YF with the rationale that a single vaccination provides sufficient long-term immunogenicity, no studies have evaluated long-term immunity in Japanese adults who received a single dose of YF vaccine. This study evaluated the long-term persistence of immunogenicity in Japanese adults vaccinated with the YF vaccine. This observational study enrolled Japanese adults who received a single YF vaccination >5 years previously. Blood samples were collected after confirming eligibility for the study. The serum levels of anti-yellow fever virus (YFV)-neutralizing antibodies were measured using the 50% plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT50). The 65 participants comprised 35 males and 30 females, with a median age at vaccination of 34 years. The time between YF vaccination and registration was between 5 and 26 years. All participants remained seropositive even after a long time. Statistical analysis showed no correlation between the time elapsed since YF vaccination and PRNT50. Our results indicate that a single dose of YF vaccine provides adequate long-term immunity in Japanese adults and that booster vaccinations are not routinely required. These findings strongly aid in the development of travel medicine guidelines and the optimization of vaccination strategies by reducing the usage of medical resources and simplifying the health requirements for travelers.

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