Yellow Fever Death Toll in Angola Rises to at Least 250

A yellow fever epidemic in Angola has killed at least 250 people since the end of December 2015 and continues to spread, stretching limited resources.

Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes and found in tropical regions of Africa and Latin America's Amazon region. There is no specific treatment for yellow fever. A yellow fever epidemic in Angola has killed at least 250 people since the end of December 2015 and continues to spread, stretching limited resources, said doctors and officials.

The head of the Luanda pediatrics hospital, Mateus Campos, said 27 children died there on Monday, March 14, 2016, alone, with 900 suspected cases turning up each day. "We don't have the human resources to cope," Campos added.

Yellow Fever | Acute Viral Hemorrhagic Fever - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment
Yellow fever is a hemorrhagic fever that is transmitted by infected mosquitoes and it can lead to liver failure and death.

‘A yellow fever epidemic in Angola has killed at least 250 people since the end of December 2015 and continues to spread, stretching limited resources.’

Health ministry spokeswoman Adelaide de Carvalho said that the ministry registered 76 suspect cases and 10 deaths in three days alone this month, but gave no overall toll.

A week ago the World Health Organization put the death toll at 250 but some doctors believe the situation may be far worse. Authorities launched a mass vaccination campaign in February 2016 and the government urged residents to sterilize stagnant water before drinking it.

Luanda remains the worst-hit area, with nine of every 10 deaths registered in the city over the last days.

Safe and Effective Vaccine Against Yellow Fever
Scientists wanted to study the efficacy of inactivated cell culture vaccine against yellow fever.

Critics such as surgeon Maurilio Luyela have blasted authorities for failing to upgrade public health facilities or pay doctors good wages.

"Doctors who graduate from university don't join the public health sector because there isn't enough money to pay them," he told journalists.

Yellow Fever Outbreak in Angola Kills 51
Yellow fever causes 200,000 infections and 30,000 deaths every year, with nearly 90% of these occurring in Africa.

Yellow fever vaccinations are routinely recommended for travelers to Angola, though the country had not previously seen a significant outbreak since 1986. World Health Organization figures show there are an estimated 130,000 cases of yellow fever reported yearly, causing 44,000 deaths worldwide each year, with 90% occurring in Africa.

Source-AFP

Substantial Reduction of Yellow Fever in Africa With Mass Vaccination Campaigns
Over 78,000 deaths due to Yellow fever, an acute viral disease, has been reported in Africa in 2003, reveals a new research published in PLOS Medicine this week.