Yellow fever vaccination requirements

We are a group of friends based in different European Countries and want to travel to Tanzania during the winter season to avoid the cold weather. Our travel agent recommended that we check for vaccination requirements in Tanzania. Following this advice, we searched on the internet and discovered that there is a requirement for travellers to get yellow fever vaccination. We would like to know whether it is a legal requirement to get vaccinated for yellow fever in Tanzania and whether there are any exceptions to this requirement.
ES, Europe

Yellow fever is a serious disease that is internationally monitored as a public health emergency. In Tanzania, the Public Health Act, 2009 (Act. No. 1 of 2010) (the Act) requires vaccination for travellers as advised from time to time. In the case of yellow fever, vaccination is mandatory for travellers arriving from yellow fever endemic countries and travellers subjected to long flight connections in yellow fever endemic countries for 12 hours or more. Government Directives require that the vaccination is administered 10 days before entering Tanzania. On arrival into Tanzania, travellers are required to produce a vaccination certificate at the port of entry. Failure to produce this certificate will lead to vaccination at the entry point and remaining under medical supervision for 10 days.

We have noted some exemptions to the vaccination requirement. Some travellers may be exempted if for medical reasons approved by an authorised medical officer taking the vaccine is a health risk. Such travellers shall, upon arrival, show medical proof of exemption. In addition, travellers above 60 years and below 1 year old are exempted from the vaccination requirement. Travellers coming from countries where yellow fever is not endemic and have had no flight connections in yellow fever endemic countries are not required to be vaccinated. The government through the Ministry of Health has issued a list of countries for which a valid certificate of vaccination is required for entry into Tanzania. The last update we reviewed contains countries from Africa and South America. Nonetheless, it is important to check for updates on vaccination information as these usually change from time to time.

We advise that you keep track of updates from the World Health Organisation and the Tanzania Ministry of Health before making your trip. Welcome to Tanzania.

Right to reimbursement or rerouting against airline

I am a resident of Dodoma and was scheduled to travel to a European country for my studies. I had plans of travelling to Dar es Salaam for a connection with an international flight. This plan was interrupted by a local airline cancelling the Dar es Salaam flight without providing prior information. Unfortunately, it was too late to take alternative transport arrangements to Dar es Salaam. Do I have any right against the airline? Please guide me.
SD, Dodoma

We are sorry to hear about this unfortunate turn of events. The Civil Aviation (Carriage by Air) Regulations, 2024 (GN No. 4 of 2024) governs aspects of carriage of passengers, goods and cargo by Tanzanian airlines. Regulation 24 provides that in the case of cancellation, delay or denied boarding, passenger shall be offered-(a) reimbursement within seven days of the full cost of the ticket at the price at which it was bought, for the part or parts of the journey not made, and for the part or parts already made if the flight is no longer serving any purpose in relation to the passenger’s original travel plan, together with, when relevant, a return flight to the first point of departure, at the earliest opportunity; (b) re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to their final destination at the earliest opportunity; or (c) re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to their final destination at a later date at the passenger’s convenience, subject to availability of seats. Please contact the airline for further information on the airline cancellation policy and check your ticket for terms and conditions which may affect your rights against the airline. It doesn’t seem likely that the local airline will compensate you for the loss you suffered in your foreign travel. We believe the liability is limited to the local component of travel only. However, your lawyer can guide you further.

Humanitarian aid for flood victims

 We are an NGO based in Dar es Salaam. For a month now we have mobilized humanitarian aid for households affected by floods following heavy rainfall in various parts of the region. This effort was done in good faith. However, a community leader warned us that we have not followed the law. Is there a law that we need to follow and what does this law say about providing humanitarian aid to victims of floods?
GM, Dar es Salaam

Activities related to disaster management are regulated by the Disaster Management Act, 2022 (Act No. 6 of 2022) (DMA) and the Disaster Management Regulations, 2022 (GN No. 658A of 2022) (the Regulations). The DMA establishes disaster management committees from the national to the village level. These committees (depending on the level of authority) are composed of government actors including ministers, members of parliament, local government officials, police, Red Cross representatives, to mention a few. The Committees have various powers and functions including overseeing the management of humanitarian aid in the event of a disaster.  The Regulations provide the procedure for collection of humanitarian aid and donations to persons affected by a disaster.

Regulation 11 restricts persons from soliciting aid for disaster victims without the authorization of disaster management committees in the respective area. Further, the regulation requires that all aid is collected by the disaster management committee. Regulation 26 requires the disaster management committee to keep a register of aid collected that shall be available and will include records on the type of humanitarian aid collected from donors. We advise that you contact the disaster committee in the areas you wish to provide humanitarian aid for further guidance.