Spike in yellow fever deaths prompts Nigeria to revive vaccination campaigns

Spike in yellow fever deaths prompts Nigeria to revive vaccination campaigns Resurgence of disease linked to factors including climate crisis and focus of health resources on Covid response the Guardian

More than 70 people are feared to have died of yellow fever in Nigeria since September, as health authorities warn of a resurgence of the disease.

The country recorded 47 deaths from yellow fever throughout the whole of 2019.

Health officials said progress in reducing and eradicating yellow fever, polio and other diseases through mass vaccinations and local surveillance networks had been put at risk as services are refocused on the fight against Covid-19.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said on Monday there had been a “sudden spike in cases and deaths in some communities” in Enugu and Delta states in the south of the country.

The deaths followed reports of an undiagnosed “strange disease”, with patients coughing blood and becoming feverish. At least four samples have been confirmed as yellow fever, the agency said. It added that it had increased testing and was working to diagnose all suspected cases.

State government health officials fear 72 people have died from the disease in the two states.

There is no specific treatment for yellow fever, which is largely transmitted in urban settings by mosquitos, yet vaccinations are nearly 100% effective.

Recent decades have seen the introduction of mass vaccination programmes to combat the disease. But in recent years, cases have begun to rise. ...