YF-Vax Shortage Update: What Patients Need to Know in 2026

If you've researched yellow fever vaccination in recent years, you may have encountered warnings about a shortage of YF-Vax — the only FDA-licensed yellow fever vaccine in the United States. That shortage, which lasted from 2015 to 2021, caused significant disruption for travelers, military personnel, and public health programs. As of 2026, the national shortage has been resolved, but understanding what happened — and what the current situation really is — can help you plan your travel health needs more effectively.

Current YF-Vax Status in 2026

As of early 2026, YF-Vax is

commercially available at certified Yellow Fever Vaccination Centers across the United States. Sanofi Pasteur's new production facility was licensed by the FDA on December 26, 2020, and YF-Vax became available for purchase again on April 5, 2021. There is no active FDA shortage designation for YF-Vax at this time.

However, localized availability can still vary. Not every authorized vaccination center carries YF-Vax in stock at all times. Demand can spike during travel health advisory periods — such as the Level 2 advisory issued by the CDC in April 2025 regarding yellow fever outbreaks in South America — and individual clinics may face temporary stockouts that are unrelated to any national shortage.

What Caused the 2015–2021 YF-Vax Shortage?

The shortage began in November 2015, when Sanofi Pasteur — the sole manufacturer of YF-Vax in the United States — was in the process of transitioning production from an older facility to a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing site. During this transition, a manufacturing complication resulted in the loss of a significant number of doses. Ordering restrictions were put in place to extend the existing supply.

By spring 2016, Sanofi Pasteur notified the CDC that complete depletion of YF-VAX supply was likely later that year. Approximately 500,000 doses of YF-Vax were distributed annually to vaccinate U.S. military and civilian travelers, making the shortage a significant public health concern.

How Was the Shortage Managed?

To prevent a complete lapse in vaccine access, the CDC and FDA collaborated on an Expanded Access Investigational New Drug (eIND) protocol to import Stamaril — a comparable yellow fever vaccine manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur in France. Stamaril uses the same 17D vaccine strain and is licensed in over 70 countries.

The eIND program was systematically structured. Only about 250 high-volume travel clinics — those administering more than 250 doses per month — were designated as Stamaril providers. This tiered approach aimed to ensure vaccine access for the most high-risk travelers while conserving the remaining U.S. YF-Vax supply.

The new YF-Vax production facility was licensed by the FDA in December 2020, and commercial supply resumed in April 2021, ending the six-year shortage period.

Could Another Shortage Happen?

Potentially. YF-Vax is a uniquely vulnerable product because there is only one FDA-licensed manufacturer for the U.S. market. While the new facility has improved manufacturing capacity and reliability, any future production complication, natural disaster, quality control issue, or regulatory action at Sanofi Pasteur's Swiftwater, PA facility could disrupt supply again.

The global yellow fever vaccine market faces broader supply challenges as well. WHO data indicates that global yellow fever vaccine production capacity from all manufacturers runs at approximately 80 million doses annually, against a projected need of 138 million doses per year to meet routine immunization and outbreak response needs worldwide.

What Does This Mean for You as a Traveler?

The current shortage situation is resolved — but that doesn't mean YF-Vax is as easy to find as a flu shot. It remains available only at certified Yellow Fever Vaccination Centers, not regular pharmacies, and individual clinics can still run short independently of any national shortage.

Practical steps to protect yourself:

Plan your travel health visit at least 4–6 weeks before departure.

Use the CDC Clinic Finder or medfinder to locate an authorized clinic that has YF-Vax currently in stock.

Keep your ICVP (yellow fever vaccination card) in a safe place — under current WHO guidelines, a single dose provides lifelong protection and the certificate is valid for life.

Check CDC travel advisories for your destination before departure — new outbreaks can affect demand for the vaccine.

How medfinder Helps When YF-Vax Is Hard to Locate

Even when the national shortage is resolved, finding a clinic near you with YF-Vax currently in stock can be time-consuming. medfinder does the work for you: enter your medication and location, and we contact authorized clinics near you to check current stock. Results are texted to you — no hold music, no repeated phone calls to different clinics.

For more context, read why YF-Vax is hard to find and our guide on how to find YF-Vax in stock near you.