Health Ministry guards against Yellow Fever

Aug 14, 2008 News

Before the end of this month, Guyana is expected to receive a shipment of the Yellow Fever vaccine, free of cost from neighbouring Brazil.

This is according to Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, who noted that his Ministry continues to monitor the infection within the region. He added that although there is no outbreak of the disease, no chances are being taken.

“Knowing the danger that lurks in other parts of the continent, we are ensuring that all of our people are vaccinated against Yellow Fever,” Dr. Ramsammy said.

Earlier this year, there were several outbreaks of the fever in South America, as well as Central America. This led to a severe shortage of the Yellow Fever vaccine in the region, as countries wanted to ensure that the gap which existed within their respective immunization programs was reduced.

“Guyana did not wait to experience those shortages and we made arrangements to receive special supplies of vaccine,” Ramsammy emphasised.

The shipment, which arrives on August 26th, will ensure that Guyana has an adequate supply to continue its regular immunization program.

Research shows that Yellow Fever continues to be an important public health problem in the Americas. Between 1985 and 1999, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela and French Guiana reported 2,935 cases and 1,764 deaths.

During this period, more than 80% of all Yellow Fever reports in the American Region came from Bolivia and Peru. In 1999, Bolivia, Brazil and Peru accounted for 33%, 36% and 27% of all cases, respectively.

However, from January to May 2000, a total of 66 confirmed cases were reported in Brazil, which represent more than 90% of all the cases notified in the Region during this period.

The seriousness of the current Yellow Fever situation in the Region demands a firm commitment by the countries to a strong and effective strategy for controlling the disease.

The Pan American Health Organization’s recommendations focus on the prevention of its re-urbanization, through surveillance, vaccination and vector control. The establishment of a sensitive surveillance system is critical to the control and prevention of Yellow Fever.

Currently, notified cases tend to be of the severe clinical form of the disease, and therefore correspond to only a fraction of the total number of Yellow Fever virus infections, since as much as 50% of all cases can be asymptomatic.

The countries and territories that have included universal children immunization against Yellow Fever are Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and French Guiana. Brazil, Ecuador and Peru have given priority to the immunization of children in enzootic areas.

Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana have implemented “catch-up” campaigns in all age groups in the entire country, and Brazil and Ecuador have used the same strategy for enzootic (endemic in animals) areas and regions with a high risk of transmission of the disease.

Peru, Bolivia, Suriname and Venezuela have developed plans to introduce the Yellow Fever vaccine in their children vaccination schedule, as well as the vaccination of all age groups in enzootic areas.