Johannesburg: HLive
Yellow fever virus is transmitted by infected mosquitoes, the most common species being Aedes aegypti – the same mosquito that spreads the Zika virus has spread in Angola in decades has killed 178 people.
According to World Health Organization more than 450 people have been infected by the disease since the outbreak was first reported in December last year.
It has been described as the first outbreak in 30 years and spread from the capital Luanda to six of the country’s 18 provinces.
The WHO statement said that while 5.7 million people have been vaccinated against yellow fever, there is a global vaccine shortage. Half of the severely infected patients die within 10 to 14 days if they do not receive treatment. WHO’s African Public Health Emergency Fund has provided 289 383 US dollars. WHO’s recently established Contingency Fund for Emergencies released US$ 500 000 to enable a rapid response to this outbreak in Angola .
WHO has also supported the development of an emergency response plan to provide an additional US$ 3 million funds from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to cover 50% of the costs of the vaccines for the province of Luanda.
Yellow fever is spread by mosquitoes, most commonly the Aedes aegy mosquito, the same species that spreads the Zika virus. Yellow fever virus is transmitted by infected mosquitoes, the most common species being Aedes aegypti
Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. A small percentage of infected people experience a second more severe phase of illness which includes high fever, jaundice and internal bleeding. At least half of severely affected patients who don’t receive treatment die within 10 to 14 days.
