Two British people dead after receiving yellow fever vaccines

Two people in the UK have died after being given a vaccine to protect against the potentially fatal yellow fever.

Both the unidentified victims were in categories of people who shouldn't always be given the vaccine – one was aged over 60 and the other had had their thymus gland removed.

Travellers should not be put off getting the vaccine, health chiefs said, and medics have been warned to check it's safe to give their patient the jab, which can cost around £60 on the NHS.

Both of them died 'shortly' after receiving the vaccine because of yellow fever vaccine-associated viscerotropic disease (YEL-AVD). 

One of them was 67 years old – the life-saving jab is not recommended for people over the age of 60, according to the NHS. This person died 16 days after their injection. 

The vaccine is also not recommended for people who have had surgery to remove their thymus gland, a gland in the chest which is part of the immune system.

The other victim, who was in their 40s, had had this operation and died just eight days after having the yellow fever jab.