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Ethiopia launching vaccination campaign for yellow fever
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An emergency mass-vaccination campaign is being launched in Ethiopia in response to six confirmed cases of yellow fever in the country, according to WHO.
The six cases were confirmed in South Omo zone of the Southern Nations, Nationality and Peoples’ Region of Ethiopia. The campaign, which is being run by the Ministry of Health in Ethiopia, will cover more than 527,000 residents in the districts of South Ari, North Ari, Benatsemay, Selamago, Hammer and Gnangatom, and in Jinka, an administrative town in the South Omo zone.
The International Coordinating Group on Yellow Fever Vaccine Provision is providing more than 585,800 doses of yellow fever vaccine with support from the GAVI Alliance. The group maintains a stockpile of yellow fever vaccines and is represented by UNICEF, Médecins Sans Frontières, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and WHO.
WHO is monitoring the outbreak, which was identified through the national surveillance program for yellow fever. The index case was a 39-year-old man who had fever, jaundice and hemorrhagic signs. The diagnosis was confirmed by Institute Pasteur in Dakar, Senegal.