Brazil: Yellow fever outbreak declared over /update 9

Event

The yellow fever outbreak that had threatened Brazilian cities in the first half of 2017 appears to have subsided. According to new data released by the Pan American Health Organization, a regional branch of the World Health Organization, no new cases of yellow fever were reported anywhere in the country in the month of July.

Context

Yellow fever concerns first struck Brazil in December 2016.  In January 2017, Brazilian health officials reported 712 suspected cases, five times above normal levels. Though most of the early suspected cases were reported in Brazil’s rural areas, such as parts of Minas Gerais state, the epidemic spread to the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo and threatened the cities of Rio and São Paulo before reported case rates fell substantially in March. Yellow fever outbreaks had not occurred in urban areas of Brazil since 1942.

Symptoms of yellow fever - a mosquito-borne disease - generally appear within three to six days following infection and include fever, chills, muscle and back pain, vomiting, headaches, and, in more serious cases, hemorrhaging and organ failure. The yellow fever vaccine should be administered at least ten days prior to travel to an affected zone to be fully effective. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the vaccine provides life-long immunity.

Advice

Individuals in or planning travel to Brazil are advised to stay abreast of local epidemiological developments, consult their doctor regarding vaccination options, and to continue to protect themselves against insects due to the presence of various other mosquito-borne diseases (dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika virus, etc.), e.g. by wearing covering clothing, using insect repellent, and sleeping in screened-in and/or air conditioned rooms.