Suriname: first yellow fever case detected since 45 years

[Gert van der Hoek]

Dutchman infected with yellow fever in Suriname

Today, 08:57 PM


March 10, 2017 |

For the first time in 45 years yellow fever had been detected in a patient in the Netherlands. The patient has visited Suriname and was infected there. This is remarkable, because yellow fever was not found in Suriname in 45 years, according to the RIVM.

Yellow fever is a tropical disease caused by the yellow fever virus. The virus is transmitted by tropical mosquitoes. The disease is not from human to human transmissible. Yellow fever occurs only in certain tropical regions of Africa and South America. In Suriname, the disease occurred in the past, but there are no more patients reported in the last 45 years. However, there is currently an outbreak of yellow fever in neighboring Brazil. In the Netherlands is no chance of an outbreak of yellow fever since the yellow fever mosquito is not present there.