Yellow fever outbreak could spread, IFRC warns

A deadly yellow fever outbreak in Angola has now spread to China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Kenya. The IFRC warned in May that fears are growing that the disease will continue to spread internationally unless immediate action is taken. “Limited vaccine supplies, poor sanitation, inadequate disease surveillance systems and everyday cross-border interaction could turn a national outbreak into a larger crisis,” said Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré, director of IFRC’s Africa region. In Angola and the DRC, the IFRC has deployed Regional Disaster Response Team members and released start-up funds from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to support anti-yellow fever operations. The IFRC also launched a US$ 1.45 million emergency appeal to support the Angola Red Cross and other local partners reach roughly 9 million people with vaccines and infection-prevention measures. Yellow fever is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is also responsible for spreading the Zika virus, dengue and chikungunya.

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