The yellow fever vaccine administered for prevention of yellow fever was previously given to lactating women. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has raised the red flag, reports MesVaccins.net.
Three cases of encephalitis were diagnosed in breastfed babies aged 10 days, 3 and 5 weeks whose mothers had been vaccinated with Amaril 8 to 30 days prior.
Due to the link between the vaccine and the development of encephalitis, the World Health Organization recommends that breastfeeding women avoid the yellow fever vaccine if their child is under the age of six months.
However, if a woman has to travel to a region of the world where vaccination against yellow fever is required, she must be vaccinated to avoid being affected by the epidemic. If her child is younger than 6 months, she will need to stop breastfeeding 15 days after the vaccination.