Biosecurity

The Yellow Fever Outbreak In Angola May Become The World’s Latest Global Health Emergency

Joining the ranks of Zika as one of the latest global health emergencies is an old illness that brings to mind images of colonial epidemics and slave trade routes: yellow fever. In recent months, Angola has seen a yellow fever outbreak that has infected nearly 2,000 people and killed 258 people.

In a new JAMA paper, two Georgetown University professors outline the extent to which the current outbreak may spread to other countries, and urge the World Health Organization to take emergency steps to prevent it. The researchers’ biggest concern is a worldwide vaccine shortage for the acute viral disease. Though the yellow fever vaccine is effective and has prevented thousands of deaths since it first came into use in the 1930s, the vaccine supply is limited, considering the huge numbers of people around the world who need to be immunized.