WHO Curbs Yellow Fever Outbreak With Its Vaccination Campaign, But Limited Vaccines Available

Officials are concerned that the virus called yellow fever could spread in Africa with the shortage of vaccines. On the other hand, the World Health Organization (WHO) pledged to vaccinate 14 million people against the yellow fever outbreak in 8,000 locations with its vaccination campaign.

With the shortage of vaccines, experts from WHO dilute the vaccine to one-fifth the dose. This is a stop-gap measure that can protect against the disease. William Perea, Coordinator for the Control of Epidemic Diseases at Unit at WHO said that protecting as many people as possible is at the heart of this strategy. He further said that with a limited supply they need to use these vaccines very carefully, as noted by ABC News.

The method is called fractional dosing. It was recommended by WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE). These lower doses would protect people safely and effectively against yellow fever for at least 12 months and might be longer. This dose will guard the people against the disease during this outbreak and will help stop it from spreading further.

WHO has already vaccinated over 13 million people in Angola and more than 3 million in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with its vaccination campaigns. This prevents potential from spreading and expansion of the yellow fever outbreak. There are estimated 200,000 cases of yellow fever worldwide annually and about 30,000 deaths, according to WHO. The occurrences are mostly in Africa with about 90 percent of all cases.

Yellow fever disease is a hemorrhagic fever that caused by Flavivirus. Its symptoms are high fever, bleeding into the skin and the death of cells in the liver and kidneys. The damage in the liver results into severe jaundice, which is the yellowing of the skin. This virus is transmitted to people through a bite of an infected mosquito. The disease is typically found in tropical and subtropical areas in South America and Africa. According to experts, there is no specific cure for the disease. To prevent the virus infection, people must be vaccinated, use insect repellent or wear protective clothing.