In the time of Corona, other viruses are still hot around the world,
including an infamous flavivirus: Yellow Fever. On November 7th, people in Nigeria reported over 77 people in Nigeria dead from a “strange illness” in two regions, Enugu and Delta. The strange illness was found to be none other than Yellow Fever, which can manifest as deadly hemorrhagic fever.
In response to this small outbreak, the NCDC activated a management system to deploy response teams to both states. The response team is responsible for investigating cases and communicating risks actively to the community, as well as managing cases. Vaccination campaigns are widely being deployed as well.
Interestingly, Nigeria experienced no cases from 1996-2017 until the virus was found in Kwara State; these days, thousands of infections circulate yearly. It is particularly concerning to see a high fatality rate this year as well, more than the whole 2019.
This report by ProMed struck out particularly to me as Yellow Fever is vaccine preventable. This highlights the issues of thorough vaccine coverage and continued vaccination in areas which need it. It is not enough to simply license a vaccine obviously- effort, money, time, and scrutiny all play a pivotal role in halting the spread. It will be interesting to see how the global community can work together to face Coronavirus, which has spread to pockets all over the world and can surely not be saved simply by the licensure of a vaccine.
-Sammy
https://promedmail.org -Yellow Fever report 11-10-20
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