Cameroon Launches Yellow Fever Vaccination Drive
Cameroon has started immunizing children and adults against yellow fever () in Douala, the commercial hub, following confirmed cases as part of a preventive response intervention.
The vaccination campaign, which will run until July 30, is carried out free of charge in all the nine health districts of Douala, said Cameroon's Minister of Public Health Manaouda Malachie, Xinhua news agency reported.
‘The #yellowfever vaccine, developed in the 1930s by Max Theiler, was the first human virus #vaccine produced in a laboratory and led to Theiler winning the #NobelPrize in Physiology or Medicine in 1951.’
Yellow Fever Vaccination Program Announced
"The campaign comes at a time marked by an upsurge in confirmed cases and deaths of yellow fever since 2023 in our country. The situation as described, confirms an epidemic in urban areas with a very high risk of international spread," Manaouda said in a statement announcing the vaccination program.The campaign targets children and adults aged between 9 months to 60 years except pregnant women, women breastfeeding infants under 9 months, and severely ill individuals.
"A single dose of the vaccine provides lifelong immunity," Manaouda added. Yellow fever, an acute viral hemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes, poses a significant public health threat.
Characterised by symptoms such as fever, headache, jaundice, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue, the disease can lead to severe complications, with approximately half of the patients succumbing within seven to 10 days, according to the World Health Organisation.
Reference:
- Yellow fever - (https:www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/yellow-fever)