2,149 suspected cases and 277 deaths. The figures for the yellow fever epidemic that has struck Angola since the start of 2016 worry theWorld Health Organization (WHO). “Despite the vaccination campaigns implemented in Luanda [la capitale du pays], the virus is still circulating in most districts of Luanda and in five other provinces“deplores the WHO in a press release.
A risk of “international spread”
Beyond Angola, “there is a high risk of the epidemic spreading to neighboring countries“explains the WHO. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), for example, has 44 suspected cases (39 cases confirmed by laboratory tests) including 37 imported from Angola and two indigenous. Namibia and Zambia are also countries at risk of propagation because they “share a long porous border with Angola, and controlling population movements between these three countries will be difficult“, reveals the WHO.
At present, in addition to Angola, three countries have reported confirmed cases of yellow fever in the world: the DRC, Kenya and China. “These cases highlight the risk of international spread through unimmunized travelers“, warns the Organization.
No treatment, but an effective vaccine
Yellow fever is a hemorrhagic disease transmitted by the bites of mosquitoes of the genus Aedes and Haemagogus. It causes fever, headache, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and, in 15% of cases, kidney dysfunction, bleeding and jaundice, which gave the pathology its name. Africa is the continent most affected by yellow fever, with 130,000 cases per year. The treatments are not specific but are only aimed at reducing the symptoms. Almost 50% of people with severe yellow fever die from it. One vaccine more than 99% effective exists and is recommended for young children and travelers in risk areas.
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