Yellow Fever Update

Due to the recent alerts about outbreaks of Yellow Fever, specifically throughout South America, and the vaccine being required in more countries as this current time, we want to be sure that travelers are as protected as possible and are aware of the recent outbreaks in the areas and regions they will be visiting. Please see our previous post about the differences in Required vs. Recommended here.

Yellow Fever is also found in some areas of Africa and Southern Central America, so it is not a disease restricted to areas where alerts are currently being released. At Passport Health Colorado, we offer the Yellow Fever vaccine in a couple of ways. First, we offer a multi-dose vial which contains 5 doses of the vaccine and is perfect to give to a group of travelers who all need the vaccine or are traveling to the same place. Second, we offer the single-dose Yellow Fever as well for the individual traveler. We currently have the Yellow Fever vaccine in stock, in both forms, at all of our locations along the Front Range.

As for the latest alerts, you can see the newest press release and alert for Paraguay here from the Pan American Health Organization.

The alert for Brazil is here from Folha Online (the site is in Portuguese, but I’ve written the English version, sent from the International Society of Infectious Diseases, below):

“The Department of Health of Parana (Brazil) confirmed this Weds (12 Mar 2008) 2 cases of autochthous yellow fever (contracted in the state itself). One person died.

This is the 1st record of a case, and death, due to the disease in Parana since 1966. In that year, there were 32 deaths, according to the government.

According to the State Secretary of Health, Gilberto Martin, the 2 patients — who contracted the sylvan form of the disease — were infected in Laranjal, 423 km from the state capital, Curitiba.

One man, 35 years old, died on 29 Feb 2008. The other, 27 years old, is hospitalized in Ivaipora and not at risk of death. The 2 brothers were infected and worked in the rural area of Laranjal in the logging business.

This year (2008), 2 other cases had already been recorded in the state, but both were imported. On 8 Jan 2008, a retired banker died in Maringa, but he was infected in Caldas Novas (Goias state).

Vaccination has begun in Laranjal, where the 2 cases were confirmed. In the municipality, 84.7% of the 7400 inhabitants live in the rural area. Beyond the area of risk, some 127 municipalities of a total of 399 in Parana have been included in the areas of transition of the disease. The government of Parana wants to achieve 100% vaccination of the population that lives in the area of risk.

The distribution of the municipalities considered areas of risk is wide in Parana, reaching the regions in the west, centre, centre-south, southwest and northwest. As of Monday (17 Mar 2008), house to house vaccination will be started throughout the rural area of 157 municipalities, that are considered at risk for sylvan yellow fever.

The urban population of the municipalities will be attended at health posts. Vaccination in the area of risk will be massive and will extend until 4 Apr 2008. In counties considered areas of transition, vaccination will be held until 25 Apr 2008. In those regions, the majority of the population is already vaccinated against yellow fever.

Byline: Jose Maschio, Agencia Folha, Londrina & Dimitris Valle, Agencia Folha, Curitiba”