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Angola's yellow fever outbreak could become 'global emergency' | Angola's yellow fever outbreak could become 'global emergency' |
(about 5 hours later) | |
Scientists in the US have warned that the shortage of yellow fever vaccines could spark a global health emergency. | |
An outbreak of the mosquito-borne viral disease has killed 277 people in Angola since December, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO). | An outbreak of the mosquito-borne viral disease has killed 277 people in Angola since December, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO). |
An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association warns that it could spread to other continents. | An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association warns that it could spread to other continents. |
The WHO says almost six million people have been vaccinated in Angola, which has a population of 24.3 million. | The WHO says almost six million people have been vaccinated in Angola, which has a population of 24.3 million. |
In April, the WHO said the emergency stockpile of vaccines had ran out. | In April, the WHO said the emergency stockpile of vaccines had ran out. |
The virus has already spread to neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and China. | The virus has already spread to neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and China. |
BBC Africa's health correspondent Anne Soy says vaccines take around six months to produce, so there is a time lag in responding to a large outbreak like the current one in Angola. | |
Drug manufacturers globally produce just enough vaccines for routine immunisation, she adds. | |
In the article, headlined A Yellow Fever Epidemic, A New Global Health Emergency?, two professors from Georgetown University warned that the shortage of vaccine supplies could potentially lead to a health security crisis if it spreads further in Africa, Asia - which has never experienced a yellow fever epidemic - and the Americas. | In the article, headlined A Yellow Fever Epidemic, A New Global Health Emergency?, two professors from Georgetown University warned that the shortage of vaccine supplies could potentially lead to a health security crisis if it spreads further in Africa, Asia - which has never experienced a yellow fever epidemic - and the Americas. |
Daniel Lucey and Lawrence Gostinsay wrote in the journal that the WHO "should urgently convene an emergency committee to mobilise funds, co-ordinate an international response, and spearhead a surge in vaccine production". | Daniel Lucey and Lawrence Gostinsay wrote in the journal that the WHO "should urgently convene an emergency committee to mobilise funds, co-ordinate an international response, and spearhead a surge in vaccine production". |
Yellow fever is a virus that can cause bleeding, jaundice and kidney failure, It is spread by mosquitoes, usually the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the same species that spreads the Zika virus. | Yellow fever is a virus that can cause bleeding, jaundice and kidney failure, It is spread by mosquitoes, usually the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the same species that spreads the Zika virus. |
It is endemic in tropical regions of Africa and South America. | It is endemic in tropical regions of Africa and South America. |
A vaccine can prevent infection but there is no specific drug treatment for people who are infected. | A vaccine can prevent infection but there is no specific drug treatment for people who are infected. |