In an update on the yellow fever outbreak that began in Luanda, Angola in December, health officials say the death toll has climbed to 37.

Angola Image/CIA
Angola
Image/CIA

National Director of Health, Mr Adelaide de Carvalho said health officials were monitoring suburbs around the capital of Luanda where infections have been worsened by unsanitary conditions caused by a garbage collection backlog.

“Actions should be developed for the improvement of public sanitary and garbage collection,” de Carvalho said.

On Wednesday, The National Commission for Civil Protection, coordinated by the Interior Minister Interior, Ângelo de Barros Veiga Tavares, held an extraordinary session in order to analyze the situation of endemic outbreak of yellow fever.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Yellow fever virus is found in tropical and subtropical areas in South America and Africa. The virus is transmitted to people by the bite of an infected mosquito.

The majority of persons infected with yellow fever virus have no illness or only mild illness. In persons who develop symptoms, the incubation period (time from infection until illness) is typically 3–6 days. The initial symptoms include sudden onset of fever, chills, severe headache, back pain, general body aches, nausea, and vomiting, fatigue, and weakness. Most persons improve after the initial presentation.

After a brief remission of hours to a day, roughly 15% of cases progress to develop a more severe form of the disease. The severe form is characterized by high fever, jaundice, bleeding, and eventually shock and failure of multiple organs.

There is no specific treatment for yellow fever; care is based on symptoms. Steps to prevent yellow fever virus infection include using insect repellent, wearing protective clothing, and getting vaccinated.