KEY UPDATES
Angola epidemiological update (as of 25 August): There have been no new confirmed cases since 23 June.
Phase I of the preventive vaccination campaign in Angola was completed and, as of 29 August, 2 761 104 people had been vaccinated.
Democratic Republic of The Congo (DRC) epidemiological update (as of 1 September): There have been no confirmed cases related to the current outbreak since 12 July. There are no new areas with suspected cases since the last report. Investigation into the probable case in a new province (Sud Ubangi) in last week’s report is ongoing.
The pre-emptive vaccination campaign in DRC has concluded in Kinshasa, Kasai Central, Kongo Central and Lualaba and, as of 1 September, 9 048 541 people have been vaccinated for Health Zones that have reported. The campaign is ongoing in Kasai and Kwango provinces.
The second meeting of the Emergency Committee regarding yellow fever was convened on 31 August 2016. The outbreak in Angola and DRC continues to not constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern but remains a serious public health event.
ANALYSIS
The overall risk assessment remains unchanged.
No new cases have been confirmed in Angola since the end of June. Vaccination campaigns have been completed in 73 municipalities and 18 million people have been vaccinated in 2016 (out of an estimated population of 24 million). Nevertheless, a high level of awareness needs to be maintained while pre-emptive vaccination campaigns are ongoing. Further expansion of disease surveillance is needed.
There have been no confirmed cases linked to the current outbreak in DRC since July. This week there have been no new Health Zones reporting suspected cases. Nevertheless, inherent difficulties in surveillance and laboratory confirmation leave open the possibility of undiscovered confirmed cases.
The imminent onset of the rainy season in the region will intensify vector activity, thus raising the risks of yellow fever transmission. This will also reduce accessibility to remote areas, including provinces along the border between Angola and DRC, further complicating surveillance, investigations and response.
Vaccination campaigns in recent weeks have reached large numbers of at-risk individuals, considerably reducing the risk of transmission in those populations.
Vaccine stocks are adequate to complete all planned vaccination campaigns and leave sufficient stock to respond to additional cases and/or outbreaks in other countries, should they arise.