18/04/2016
Yellow Fever epidemic –
Angola is grappling with a yellow fever outbreak, which has been described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the worst outbreak in 30 years. So far there have been 450 laboratory-confirmed cases and at least 178 deaths.
Cases of yellow fever have also been reported in other countries including China, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Kenya. Namibia and Zambia remain on high alert for imported cases.
Clients who are travelling to Yellow Fever areas in the coming months should be advised to go for their Yellow Fever vaccinations sooner rather than later. Although South African travel clinics report they still have a sufficient supply of Yellow Fever vaccines, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned there is currently a global shortage of yellow fever vaccines.
CDC no longer recommends booster doses of yellow fever vaccine for most travelers. However, Angola is currently a higher-risk setting because of the outbreak, so travelers to Angola may consider getting a booster if their last yellow fever vaccine was more than 10 years ago.
The outbreak has spurred other African nations to ramp up surveillance at airports and borders. Arriving travellers will be asked to present vaccination certificates and will be checked for signs of illness.
Especially in Rwanda’s Kigali International Airport, security measures have become quite stringent. As of March 28 all travellers arriving without a valid yellow fever certificate have to pay US$40 (R586) for a vaccination on arrival.
Travellers to Uganda from high risk yellow fever countries must produce a valid immunisation certificate against the disease to be allowed into the country, according to new guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health. The certificate should have been issued 10 days before travel.
Yellow fever is a potentially fatal viral disease transmitted by the same mosquitos that spread the dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. At least half of severely affected patients who don’t receive treatment die within 10 to 14 days.
Countries with risk of yellow fever virus transmission: Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, DRC, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritiania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo and Uganda.
Countries with low potential exposure to yellow fever virus are Eritrea, Sao Tome, Somalia, Tanzania and Zambia.
