Congo: 2016 Yellow Fever

[Gert van der Hoek]

| Mon Jun 20, 2016

Democratic Republic of Congo declared a yellow fever epidemic in three provinces including the capital Kinshasa on Monday, after recording 67 cases of the disease.

Health Minister Felix Kabange said seven of the cases were autochthonous, while 58 were imported from Angola, where the outbreak began. Five people in total had died, he said. A further two cases came from remote forested areas not linked to the current outbreak.

"I declare today a localized epidemic of yellow fever in the provinces of Kinshasa, Kongo Central and Kwango," Kabange told a news conference.
Kinshasa is the main concern for global healthcare officials, because it has a densely packed population of more than 12 million and poor health infrastructure.

The global stockpile of yellow fever vaccines has already been depleted twice this year to immunize people in Angola, Uganda and Congo. It currently stands at 6 million doses but this may not be enough if there are simultaneous outbreaks in multiple highly populated areas.

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[Gert van der Hoek]

Tue Jun 21, 2016


Congo declares yellow fever epidemic, 1,000 suspected cases

Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday declared a yellow fever epidemic in three provinces, including the capital Kinshasa, after confirming 67 cases of the disease, with another 1,000 suspected cases being monitored.

Health Minister Felix Kabange said only seven of the proven cases were indigenous to the Central African country, while 58 were imported from Angola, where the outbreak began. A further two cases came from remote forested areas not linked to the current outbreak. Five people in total have died, Kabange added.

"I declare today a localized epidemic of yellow fever in the provinces of Kinshasa, Kongo Central and Kwango," Kabange told a news conference.
Kinshasa is the primary concern for global health officials since it has a densely-packed population of more than 12 million and poor healthcare infrastructure.

READ MORE

 

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/...-cases-up-38-percent-in-last-3-weeks-who.html

Suspected Congo yellow fever cases up 38 percent in last 3 weeks: WHO
Published July 18, 2016 Reuters

KINSHASA ? The number of suspected yellow fever cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has jumped 38 percent in the last three weeks, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday, as health officials prepare to launch a vaccination campaign next week.

Congo's government last month declared a yellow fever epidemic in the capital Kinshasa and two provinces that border Angola, where the worst outbreak of the disease in decades has killed about 350 people.

As of July 11, Congo had recorded 1,798 suspected cases since the start of the outbreak in January, WHO said in a weekly report, up from 1,307 on June 24. Seventy-five people are believed to have died from the disease in Congo, it said.

Officials have confirmed 68 cases. But they have not been able to confirm or rule out any additional cases for the last three weeks due to a technical problem shipping a chemical used in the tests, said WHO's resident representative in Congo, Yokouide Allarangar...