Yellow fever in Angola

This item appears on page 18 of the April 2016 issue.

In Angola, an outbreak of yellow fever that began in December 2015 has infected at least 664 people and killed at least 125 of them. Most of the cases have occurred in the capital, Luanda.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), normal symptoms of yellow fever, which is carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, include headache, nausea and fatigue. However, in extreme cases, yellow fever can cause internal hemorrhaging and jaundice, resulting in a fatality rate of nearly 50% among untreated cases.
Yellow fever cases have also been reported in Mali and Ghana. WHO recommends yellow fever vaccinations for anyone traveling to Africa.