A yellow fever epidemic has been declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with 67 confirmed cases and 1000 suspected. There have been 5 deaths so far.
Yellow fever has been spotted in three provinces, including the capitol city of Kinshasa. Seven of the cases have been indigenous to the region, where 58 were brought in from Angola where it is suspected that the disease originated from.
Global healthcare officials are incredibly concerned about the cases in Kinshasa as people live in very close quarters in the city. The city in total also boasts a population of over 12 million, which could lead to a serious world health problem if not contained. Additionally, the Democratic Republic of Congo has a very poor health infrastructure, meaning that it is doubtful that local hospitals could handle an epidemic in Kinshasa.
Yellow fever is spread through the same mosquitoes that transmit dengue and the Zika virus. Symptoms occur in three stages:
- The first stage includes a headache, muscle and joint aches, fever, vomiting, loss of appetite and jaundice (for which the disease is named due to the yellowish tint it gives the skin). This stage lasts 3-4 days.
- In stage 2, the symptoms begin to abate. Some people completely recover in this stage and do not suffer from the third stage.
- However, after stage 2, patients may experience a third stage within 24 hours. This may progress to seizures, hemorrhaging, delirium, decreased urination, and vomiting blood. At this stage, problems with the heart, kidneys, and liver may occur. If the organs fail, death may be a result.
A “global stockpile” of yellow fever vaccines has already run dry twice in 2016 to immunize people in Angola, Congo, and Uganda. The number of vaccines used totals 18 million. However, currently there are only 6 million doses available, which is half the population of Kinshasa. Medical officials have recommended giving people 1/5 of the regular dose to make the vaccine more widely available. While this won’t give lifetime immunity, it is said that it may help in the immediate present. [1]
Producing a yellow fever vaccine takes over a year to complete.
Sources:
The Independent
[1] Reuters