SUMMARY
A yellow fever outbreak was detected in Angola late in December 2015 and confirmed by the Institut Pasteur Dakar (IP-D) on 20 January 2016. Subsequently, a rapid increase in the number of cases has been observed.
As of 19 May 2016, Angola has reported 2420 suspected cases of yellow fever with 298 deaths. Among those cases, 736 have been laboratory confirmed. Despite vaccination campaigns in Luanda, Huambo and Benguela provinces circulation of the virus in some districts persists.
Three countries have reported confirmed yellow fever cases imported from Angola:
Democratic Republic of The Congo (DRC) (42 cases), Kenya (two cases) and People’s Republic of China (11 cases). This highlights the risk of international spread through nonimmunised travellers. On 22 March 2016, the Ministry of Health of DRC confirmed cases of yellow fever in connection with Angola. The government officially declared the yellow fever outbreak on 23 April. As of 19 May, DRC has reported five probable cases and 44 laboratory confirmed cases: 42 imported from Angola, reported in Kongo central province and Kinshasa and two autochthonous cases in Ndjili, Kinshasa and in Matadi, Kongo Central province. The possibility of locally acquired infections is under investigation for at least eight nonclassified cases in both Kinshasa and Kongo central provinces.
In Uganda, the Ministry of Health notified yellow fever cases in Masaka district on 9 April 2016. As of 19 May, 60 suspect cases, of which seven are laboratory confirmed, have been reported from three districts: Masaka, Rukungiri and Kalangala. According to sequencing results, those clusters are not epidemiologically linked to Angola.
The virus in Angola and DRC is largely concentrated in main cities. The risk of spread and local transmission to other provinces in Angola, DRC and Uganda remains a serious concern. The risk is high also for potential spread to bordering countries especially those classified as low risks for yellow fever disease (i.e. Namibia, Zambia) where the population, travellers and foreign workers are not vaccinated against yellow fever.
An Emergency Committee (EC) regarding yellow fever was convened by WHO’s Director General under the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) on 19 May 2016. Following the advice of the EC, the Director-General decided that the urban yellow fever outbreaks in Angola and DRC are serious public health events which warrant intensified national action and enhanced international support. The events do not at this time constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The statement can be found on the WHO website.