In 2012, I decided to fly to Niger to visit a friend. Niger is located in the almost center of Africa and is a little less than twice the size of Texas.
My trip to Niger was my first trip into an area that required vaccinations. To get my visa, Niger, required proof that I had a yellow fever vaccination.
To prove my yellow fever vaccination, I provided them with my International Certificate of Vaccination (the Yellow Card Thingy).
One week after submitting all my documentation, I went back to the embassy to get my visa. As I was packing for my trip, I decided not to take the vaccination card with me. Rookie mistake!
My first indication that I made a mistake was when I landed in Burkina Faso. I had a layover/switch of an airline which required me leave the terminal, enter Burkina Faso, and check back in. The immigration officer asked for my vaccination card and I told her I forgot it at home. She shrugged and let me pass into Burkina Faso. A major relief or so I thought.
After my flight on Air Niger, I landed with my 7 fellow passengers at Nimay International Airport. The airport was dead. Only a handful of staff members were there to welcome us. As we were ushered through customs, I was asked for my passport, immigration card and visa. I handed over my passport and tried to explain that I forgot my vaccination card. The representative of World Health Organization (WHO) gave me a dirty look, which I though meant I could pass through. However, the look meant more trouble.
After my 7 fellow passengers were cleared from customs, I was told to follow the WHO representative. My heart start to beat faster and faster. Would I be sent to jail? Would I be sent home? What was my fate? As I followed the representative, I saw my friend waiting for me. However, I was dragged into a room before I could get to him.
At this point, I could see my heart beating outside of my chest. I look around the room I was pulled into. It was an office/medical clinic. The WHO representative shut the door, which only intensified my fear. Making the situation worse, I had been flying for 24+ hours and I was tired. The gentlemen from WHO started to yell at me. Our conversation, if you would call it that, went something like this:
Him: Why do all you Americans come here without your vaccination card?
JD: Hmm...I forgot mine.
Him: Don't you know that you need to carry it with you
JD: No, I didn't. It was a requirement to get my visa, so why would I need to show it again.
Him: You ALWAYS need to carry that card.
At this point, my body started to get hot and I became a little light headed.
Him: Well, you have two options. Wait for the nurse to arrive in the next hour or pay the exit fee.
Even though I was light headed, I remember thinking, why is the nurse coming in an hour? There is one flight in and one flight out each day. The flight out leaves in the evening and its 1 am.
JD: So the nurse is coming in an hour and she will give me a shot. Then I can go on my way.
Him: Yes. You can wait on that bed.
Then I turned around and looked at the bed that he wanted me to wait on. This mattress looks brand new compared to the one in this room:
If the bed looked like this, how clean would the needle be that he want to stick in my am? What else other than Yellow Fever would I be injected with . . .
Me: On second thought, what is the exit fee
Him: What do you have?
Me: What do you mean?
Him: Dollars, Euros or CFA (the money of niger)
Me : Dollars
Only at this moment, I understood that the exit fee was a bribe. For this specific reason, I had close to $1,000 in dollars on me. Not something I was proud of, but if cash saved my life, so be it. I was expecting the exit fee to be a few hundred dollars. You can believe my disbelief when he told me the exit fee.
Him: $35
Me: $35 is the exit fee
Him: Yes $35 US dollars
$35 was going to save me from getting a possible dirty needle stuck in my arm. I was completely shocked by how low the amount was that I didn't see my friend in the room. My friend was speaking french to the representative and voices were getting louder and louder. Next thing I know, my friend grabs my arm and pulls me from the room.
It wasn't until the next day that I realized no money was exchanged. I asked my friend what he said to the guy. Pretty much, the same things I told the guy earlier: I forgot my card and I couldn't get a visa without providing proof of the vaccination. And something about shame.
The lesson of this story: you need to always carry that Yellow Card Thingy or the WHO Immunization Card. Showing proof to the embassy for the visa is not a reason to not carry it. Also, just like your passport, you should make copies of your immunization card and leave it with family back in the states.
My situation ended with a happy ending, but it could have ended up worse. I write this post to ensure others don't ever have to experience what I had to.
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