© APA boy cries as he receives a vaccine against yellow fever at a public health center in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018.
The
World Health Organization announced Tuesday that it now considers all of Sao Paulo state at risk for yellow fever, recommending that all international visitors to the state be vaccinated.
That puts the megacity of Sao Paulo on the list. But Brazil's Health Ministry said in a statement that it was not changing its own, recently updated map of at-risk areas, which includes only certain parts of the state and city. The ministry said that the WHO's more-cautious recommendation for foreigners was made in light of the fact that it is impossible to know where visitors might travel once they arrive in Sao Paulo state.
Antonio Nardi, a senior official at the ministry, later told reporters it was the result of an "excess of concern."
The announcement comes as an outbreak is gathering steam in Brazil during the Southern Hemisphere summer rainy season and just weeks ahead of Carnival, a major draw for foreign tourists. Nardi noted that most Carnival activities happen in cities, not in the forested areas that are of most concern, and so visitors should be safe.
Since July 2017, 35 cases of yellow fever have been confirmed in Brazil, 20 of them in Sao Paulo state and three in Rio de Janeiro state, according to Health Ministry data released Tuesday. In all, 20 people have died. Yellow fever is spread by the same mosquito that transmits other tropical diseases, including Zika.
Much of Brazil is considered at risk for the virus, but a corridor along the coast was long largely considered safe. Last year, however, Brazil saw an unusually large outbreak of the disease, including in areas not previously thought to be at risk. More than 770 people were infected, and more than 250 died. In response,
the WHO began expanding its map of areas of transmission, including adding all of Rio de Janeiro state.
Brazil rushed to vaccinate millions of people in a massive campaign last year, and it is continuing those efforts this year. Just last week, the Health Ministry announced that a new campaign would vaccinate nearly 20 million people in dozens of cities in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Bahia states. Sao Paulo health authorities announced Tuesday they would start vaccinations a few days early and said the campaign would vaccinate about half of the state's population by the end of next month.
Most of those people will receive a fractional dose of the vaccine - a strategy the WHO recommends to contain ongoing outbreaks that threaten to outrun vaccine supplies.
Nardi declined to say how many doses Brazil has in its strategic stocks, but he said the country has "sufficient vaccine to vaccinate the entire Brazilian population if necessary." Brazil is a major producer of yellow fever vaccines, but last year it requested 3.5 million doses from international emergency stockpiles.
Brazilian authorities say studies have shown that a fractional dose is effective for at least eight years, though a WHO factsheet only goes as far as saying it is effective for at least a year "and likely longer." A full dose is generally considered effective for life.
Even before the WHO announcement, Brazilian media were reporting long lines at health centers in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday morning.
"They should have already vaccinated the whole population of this country," said Roberta Tonelli Ferreira, 61-year-old who visited a health center in Sao Paulo on Tuesday with her granddaughter Valentina, who is 2. "They wait until a person dies, to have who knows how many deaths, for the public to be frightened to start vaccinating."
There is no known treatment for yellow fever, and
vaccination campaigns are considered crucial to containing outbreaks. Symptoms of the disease include fever, muscle pain, and nausea; some patients also experience abdominal pain, kidney problems and the jaundice from which the disease gets its name.
Since July 2017, 35 cases of yellow fever have been confirmed in Brazil, 20 of them in Sao Paulo state and three in Rio de Janeiro state, according to Health Ministry data released Tuesday. In all, 20 people have died. Yellow fever is spread by the same mosquito that transmits other tropical diseases, including Zika.
That does not seem a significant number, I wonder just how many cases there are in Soa Paulo. at this time.
The World Health Organization announced Tuesday that it now considers all of Sao Paulo state at risk for yellow fever, recommending that all international visitors to the state be vaccinated.
Hm...this is a cruise destination for many cruise lines, so anyone wishing to visit ...well better get your shot before you enter... considering cruise ships carry thousands of passengers and also crew.... all wanting to go and explore.
The thing is it only becomes active 10 days after vaccination!
In March 2017, WHO launched a vaccination campaign in Brazil with 3.5 million doses from an emergency stockpile.[38] In March 2017 the WHO recommended vaccination for travelers to certain parts of Brazil.[39]
Interesting note from wikki regarding the virus
Yellow fever is caused by the yellow fever virus, a 40– to 50-nm-wide enveloped RNA virus, the type species and namesake of the family Flaviviridae.[7] It was the first illness shown to be transmissible by filtered human serum and transmitted by mosquitoes, by Walter Reed around 1900.[23]
Reminds me RNA collection by certain agencies of the US recently. Yellow fever is not known in the Asian continent according to the wikki entry below
It can only be confirmed by PCR studies, otherwise, it follows much like a dose of flu. Does South America have flu outbreaks? Anyway, here is the wikki entry, interesting read.
[Link]