Yellow fever updates for Brazil and Peru
In Brazil, since the beginning of the outbreak in December 2016 up to 20 April 2017, there were 2,900 cases of yellow fever reported, of which 681 were confirmed. This total includes 372 deaths (234 confirmed), according to the latest data from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The case fatality rate (CFR) is 34% among confirmed cases.
Female Aedes aegypti mosquito
Image/James Gathany
Confirmed cases were distributed among 115 municipalities in 6 states (Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Pará, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Tocantins).
This week, a new state, Tocantins, confirmed a case of sylvatic yellow fever in an unvaccinated resident of the Xambioá, located in the northern part of the state. The confirmed case was a unvaccinated young resident of Xambioá who worked in the jungle area and died in January 2017. This is the first death due to yellow fever reported in the state in 17 years.
No new cases have been reported in Minas Gerais since Mar. 14, while additional cases have been reported in Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro states.
Health authorities in the affected states, with assistance from the Brazilian Ministry of Health, are conducting mass vaccination campaigns among unvaccinated residents of affected areas.
In Peru to date, 14 confirmed and probable cases were reported, including two deaths; a similar figure was reported during the same period of 2016, which is higher than previous years. As in 2016, the department of Junín reported the largest number of confirmed and probable cases (4), followed by the departments of Ayacucho, Cusco, and San Martin (with two cases confirmed and probable each); while Amazonas, Loreto, Madre de Dios and Pasco reported one case each.
Yellow fever is a disease caused by a virus spread by mosquito bites. Symptoms take 3–6 days to develop and include fever, chills, headache, backache, and muscle aches. About 15% of people who get yellow fever develop serious illness that can lead to bleeding, shock, organ failure, and sometimes death.
There is no specific treatment for yellow fever; care is based on symptoms. Steps to prevent yellow fever virus infection include using insect repellent, wearing protective clothing, and getting vaccinated.
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