Date: Wed 20 Dec 2000
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: Reuters Health Report, Wed 20 Dec 2000 1:16 PM ET [edited]
Yellow Fever Outbreak in Guinea - Vaccine Appeal
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NEW YORK: An epidemic of yellow fever threatens the population of the
African nation of Guinea, while stocks of vaccine around the world are
insufficient to meet current demands, according to officials of the
international aid organization Medecins Sans Frontieres [MSF].
Dr. Eric Pitois, in Conakry, Guinea, told Reuters Health that the first
case of yellow fever was identified in September [2000]. At the beginning
of the vaccination campaign, launched on 29 Oct 2000, officials believed
that the epidemic affected only the prefecture of Mamou, and that the 600
000 doses of vaccine provided through the United Nations Children's Fund
(UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) would be sufficient.
However, latest figures indicate that 493 cases have been identified in
several areas throughout the country, and exposure to these cases affects
approximately 1.5 million people. [Pitois said that the second phase of a
yellow fever campaign could not be initiated due to a shortage of
vaccine. There was a deficit of at least one million doses of
vaccine]. "We cannot vaccinate in any new regions," Pitois explained.
"That is all we can do for the moment."
So far, WHO and UNICEF have identified stocks of vaccine in Indonesia, West
Africa, and Tunisia. MSF is calling on the international community to
produce vaccine stocks sufficient to allow for a rapid response to
outbreaks of yellow fever. The dwindling stocks are seen as a warning of
worse things to come. "Next year we know the epidemic will come back,"
Pitois said, adding that "if the epidemic had [spread] into Senegal or
Sierra Leone, [the situation would have become even more serious]."
[Byline: Karla Gale]
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