On Thursday, an emergency advisory committee regarding the current yellow fever outbreak was convened by the director-general of the World Health Organization, Margaret Chan, MD.
Here are four things to know about yellow fever and the current outbreak.
1. The virus: Yellow fever is a mosquito-borne virus typically transmitted in tropical and subtropical areas like South America and Africa. Initial symptoms include fever, chills, severe headache, back pain, general body aches, nausea and vomiting. Though the majority of those infected experience no illness or only mild illness, approximately 15 percent of cases progress into a more serious form of the disease. Of those that develop more severe illness, 20 to 50 percent may die, according to the CDC.
2. The outbreak: The current outbreak began in Angola in December 2015. As of Thursday, there have been 2,420 suspected cases of yellow fever with 298 associated deaths. Despite comprehensive vaccination campaigns that have reached millions, transmission of the virus continues to persist in some districts. Cases of the virus imported from Angola have been detected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (39 cases), Kenya (two cases) and People's Republic of China (11 cases), according to a WHO report. According to The New York Times, the CDC has not been able to devote as many resources to the Angolan outbreak as it typically would because of a thinning of resources caused by the Zika fight.
3. The WHO: While the WHO's emergency committee determined that the current outbreak is a serious health event meriting international support, the group did not conclude that the outbreak should be categorized as an international health emergency at this time. A statement from the organization emphasized the need "to manage rapidly any new yellow fever importations, thoroughly evaluate ongoing response activities and quickly expand yellow fever diagnostic and confirmatory capacity."
4. The vaccine: Some experts called for a dilution in administered vaccine dosage to maintain vaccine reserves. The WHO committee rejected this notion on the grounds of evidence suggesting the outbreak was under control. Also, the four major companies that produce the vaccine have increased manufacturing capacity, which has helped to replenish the vaccine stockpile. Yellow fever vaccine production will likely continue to increase to provide more treatments to at-risk populations, according to the Times. Bruce Aylward, MD, the WHO's executive director for outbreaks and health emergencies, told the Times vaccine dilution would only be considered again "if we get any other outbreaks that turn explosive."
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