Yellow fever warning issued by WHO as outbreak grows in Angola

Amid rising concern over a deadly outbreak of yellow fever spreading from Angola, the World Health Organization on Tuesday urged travellers to the African country to heed its warnings and get vaccinated.

Angola epidemic has killed 258 people since December 2015.

Thomson Reuters Posted: Apr 26, 2016 10:35 AM EDT | Last Updated: April 26, 2016

Amid rising concern overa deadly outbreak of yellow fever spreading from Angola, theWorld Health Organization on Tuesday urged travellers to theAfrican country to heed its warnings and get vaccinated.

At least 258 people have been killed and there have beenaround 1,975 suspected cases of the mosquito-borne disease sincean epidemic erupted in December 2015. It has already grown tobecome the worst outbreak in decades.

Yellow fever is transmitted by the same mosquitoes thatspread the Zika and dengue viruses, although it is a far more

serious disease with death rates as high as 75 per cent in severecases requiring admission to hospital.

Angola's outbreak has already spread to other countries inAfrica, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and atleast 11 cases of yellow fever have been imported into China inpeople travelling from Angola.

"Cases of yellow fever linked to this outbreak have beendetected 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 atrisk and we strongly urge all travellers to Angola to ensurethey are vaccinated against yellow fever and carry a validcertificate."

The WHO's regional office for Africa said last week thatyellow fever in people who travelled from Angola has been

reported in China (11 cases), DRC (10 cases with 1 in Kinshasa)and Kenya (2 cases).

It said three further cases have been reported in Uganda,but these patients had no history of travel to Angola.

Watch trade route to Uganda

The WHO "is working with neighbouring countries such as theDRC, Namibia and Zambia to bolster cross-border surveillancewith Angola and information sharing to prevent and reduce thespread of infection", it said.

Jack Woodall, a yellow fever expert who formerly worked forthe WHO and the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention,said he is worried the outbreak could spread rapidly along amajor trucking route from DRC to Uganda's capital Kampala.

"Surveillance of this trade route should be intensified andvaccination of people living along it should be top priority,"

he said.

A spokesman for the WHO in Geneva said a nationwidevaccination programthat began in Angola in February hasreached 7 million people.

But experts are warning the world's stocks of yellow fevervaccines are under sever pressure form the outbreak, with somecalling for a radical switch in strategy to use a tenth of thenormal dose and aim to cover more people.

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Yellow fever vaccination essential for Angola, WHO reminds travellers

Yellow fever in Angola travel health notice, Public Health Agency of Canada

Yellow fever warning issued by WHO as outbreak grows in Angola

Angola epidemic has killed 258 people since December 2015.

Watch trade route to Uganda

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