Angola Government Calls for Vaccination against Yellow Fever

The death toll for yellow fever in Angola, has increased to 293. According to the National Health Service 2,267 suspected cases of the disease have been so far reported

The official bulletin on the disease, covering the period between April 25th and May 5th, indicate that in that period of time five deaths were confirmed, of a total of 80 suspected cases.

The number represents a significant reduction compared to the previous week, in which 151 suspected cases and 11 deaths were reported.

Luanda province, the epicenter of the epidemic, continues to lead the statistics. A total of 195 deaths and 415 thousand suspected cases have been recorded since the disease was first detected in December 2015, in Viana.

The provincial government recently called on Angolans to go to health clinics to be vaccinated against the disease.

“It is necessary that all citizens are immunized. There are vaccines in permanent health facilities in areas where the vaccination campaign cannot entirely cover due to access difficulties,” said the governor of the province of Luanda, Higino Carneiro.

The government has announced that it has allocated 7.5 million to strengthen the efforts of the Health Ministry in its fight against the outbreak.

The infectious disease is transmitted by mosquitoes, especially Aedes aegypti, which is also responsible for the spread of zika, chikungunya and dengue.