A Defenseless City: Yellow Fever in San Paolo, Brazil

San Paolo, the largest city in Brazil, has been considered Yellow Fever free for years. While the vectors for the disease, Aedes Agypti mosquitos live across the city, effective yellow fever control had eliminated the disease from urban areas like San Paolo.
   Figure 1: South American areas at risk of Yellow Fever

   Since the city was not considered an area at risk of the disease, about 10 million people in the city were not vaccinated against the virus, a not worrisome figure until October 23rd.

   On that day, a dead monkey showed was found on the streets of San Paolo, and upon testing the monkey was declared positive for yellow fever. Immediately the health department sprang into action, investigating all possible cases that came into hospitals. So far they have confirmed two cases of humans having the disease.
 
  The health department has also begun a mass vaccination effort to vaccinate all those at risk in the city, but complicating that effort there is a severe shortage of the vaccine. Due to an undisclosed malfunction in the Pasteur laboratories, much of this year's yellow fever vaccine supply had to be thrown out and the vaccine is nearly impossible to find in the US, let alone Brazil.

   While the health department is working to control the vaccine reports have indicated both the Brazilian Heath Department and the CDC are worried about this Yellow Fever Outbreak traveling out of San Paolo to other parts of South America and possibly even the Southern United States. As mosquito season grows in Brazil, only time will tell the effects of this outbreak.

- Chris LeBoa

Ref:

Vaccine Information Statement | Yellow Fever | VIS | CDC. (n.d.). Retrieved November 25, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/vis-statements/yf.html

U.S. Supply Of Yellow Fever Vaccine Will Run Out By Midsummer. (n.d.). Retrieved November 25, 2017, from https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/04/28/526067401/u-s-supply-of-yellow-fever-vaccine-will-run-out-by-midsummer

Yellow fever in São Paulo State prompts vaccination campaign. (2017, November 24). Retrieved November 25, 2017, from http://outbreaknewstoday.com/yellow-fever-sao-paulo-state-prompts-vaccination-campaign-37190/