66 Million People Vaccinated Against Yellow Fever in Africa in 2023

From early 2023 until late February 2024, 13 countries in the WHO African Region reported yellow fever (YF) cases.

Unfortunately, preliminary data suggests that the case fatality rate for yellow fever in these countries is 11%.

According to the World Health Organization, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Guinea, Niger, South Sudan, Togo, and Uganda continue reporting YF cases in 2024.

And Nigeria's outbreak has become a significant concern.

To alert international travelers, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Level 2 Travel Health Advisory on March 28, 2024, confirming yellow fever cases remain elevated in Nigeria after an outbreak was first reported in November 2020.

Since January 2023, several states in Nigeria have reported yellow fever cases (see map).

As of December 2023, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reported 600 suspected cases of yellow fever in 36 states and 273 Local Government Areas.

There are no medications to treat or cure yellow fever, so the CDC recommends that travelers to Nigeria avoid these areas unless vaccinated.

According to WorldInfo, Nigeria recorded about 518,000 tourists in 2021, ranking 68th in the world in absolute terms. Abuja is the capital of Nigeria, located in the center of the country, within the Federal Capital Territory, and is home to over 700,000 residents.

Response activities are underway, and mass vaccination campaigns are planned in the affected areas. According to the CDC, visitors should be vaccinated at least ten days before arrival.

The Eliminate Yellow Fever Epidemics secretariat coordinated preventive and reactive efforts during 2023, substantially enhancing vaccination coverage in Africa.

Approximately 62 million people were vaccinated in Africa through preventive and reactive mass vaccination campaigns. Additionally, under catch-up campaigns in Sudan, approximately 4 million individuals received vaccination against yellow fever.

In Africa, the Stamaril® vaccine is generally available. Stamaril is expected to offer protection from yellow fever for at least ten years.

Yellow fever is caused by a virus transmitted through bites of infected mosquitoes.

The urban proliferation of Aedes spp. mosquitoes bite during the day and can significantly amplify disease transmission risks, particularly in densely populated areas.

About 15% of people infected with the yellow fever virus will develop severe illness that can lead to liver disease, bleeding, shock, organ failure, yellowing skin (jaundice), and sometimes death, says the CDC.

In the U.S., various clinics and pharmacies offer Sanofi Pasteur's YF-VAX® vaccine.