The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a statement on Tuesday urging travellers to Africa to consider their warnings and get vaccinated. The surge of yellow fever cases in Angola has become one of the world's worst yellow fever outbreaks in decades and it has now become a global concern.
Surge of Yellow Fever Cases In Angola
According to Reuters, at least 258 people died and 1,975 more suspected cases were reported since the epidemic erupted in December 2015. The Angola outbreak has since spread to other parts of Africa including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). There were also cases brought into China with 11 cases from people coming from Angola.
Cases of yellow fever linked to this outbreak have been detected in other countries of Africa and Asia," WHO director-general Margaret Chan said in a statement. "We are particularly concerned that large urban areas are at risk and we strongly urge all travelers to Angola to ensure they are vaccinated against yellow fever and carry a valid certificate."
The WHO regional office for Africa has recorded 11 cases of yellow fever in China, 10 in DRC with one in Kinshasa and two from Kenya. These cases are all linked to people who travelled from Angola. Three more cases reported in Uganda but it has not been established yet if it's connected with Angola.
Yellow Fever Has Become A Global Concern
The cases of yellow fever have surpassed the numbers reported last year. The first quarter of this year already recorded 2,915 deaths from yellow fever, reports Vice News. Cases reported for the whole year of 2015 was 8,000 and 5,500 in 2014.
Travellers to Angola must secure a certificate to prove they have been vaccinated against yellow fever, the WHO announced on Tuesday. The United Nations issued warning against people travelling to large urban areas including the capital Luanda where you can most likely contract the virus.
Yellow Fever Epidemic Could Have Been Avoided
Given that there's already a vaccine that could effectively provide lifetime protection against yellow fever, no one should be dying because of this. The recent outbreak highlights the shortage of vaccination, Wired noted. "It's really a disgrace that we don't have enough vaccines to do the job," says Thomas Monath, an expert in yellow fever who currently works for the biotech company NewLink Genetics. He further explained that for years, there has been a global shortage of yellow fever vaccine.
Yellow fever is easy enough to prevent through vaccination. However, there's no cure. Yellow fever is transmitted by the same mosquitoes that carry Zika and dengue viruses. It can cause fever and chills, which can get worse resulting in liver damage and death.
A nationwide vaccination program has started in February and has vaccinated seven million people. However, since there's a shortage of the vaccine, they are now considering to use a tenth of the normal dose to cater more people.
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