This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
WHO announces yellow fever outbreak in Angola
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
WHO officials confirmed that 164 cases of yellow fever, including 37 deaths, have occurred in Angola as of Feb. 8.
The province of Luanda, where most infections continue to be identified, reported the first cases of yellow fever on Dec. 5. An immunization campaign covering a target population of more than 1.5 million people was launched locally on Feb. 2. Other control and response activities also have been implemented, including clinical case management, enhanced surveillance, laboratory testing, social mobilization and vector control.
WHO suspects that additional cases will spread to unaffected areas, as there is a high density of Aedes aegypti, the primary vector of yellow fever, in Luanda.
“This risk is further exacerbated by the high proportion of susceptible individuals, as the only protected groups are the citizens with international vaccination cards and those children that have been vaccinated against yellow fever since 2008,” a WHO release stated.
Currently, there are no travel or trade restrictions in Angola.
Approximately 130,000 cases of yellow fever and 44,000 associated deaths are reported worldwide annually, with 90% occurring in Africa, according to WHO. Vaccination is the best preventive measure against yellow fever because there is no specific treatment for the disease.