Yellow fever has killed 277 people in Angola and infected more than 2,000 others — and it’s spread to other countries, too, the World Health Organization said Friday.
There’s a global shortage of vaccine to protect people against the virus, which is a close cousin of Zika but much more deadly.
“The virus in Angola and Democratic Republic of Congo is largely concentrated in main cities and is likely to have been introduced to the cities following increased yellow fever viral circulation among monkeys in the forest,” WHO said in a bulletin.
“There is a high risk of spread to neighboring countries.”
Like its cousins Zika, chikungunya and dengue, yellow fever is spread by Aedes mosquitoes. But it kills 60,000 people a year. Up to half of those who get severely ill from yellow fever will die without intensive treatment.
There are no specific drugs to treat yellow fever, but good supportive care, such as giving fluids, can help patients survive.
“THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF SPREAD TO NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES.”
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