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Tag: Yellow fever

  • Nigeria confirms outbreak of yellow fever in Bauchi

    The Nigeria Centre for  Disease Control (NCDC)  on Friday confirmed an  outbreak of yellow fever in Bauchi State.

    Three  cases were  recorded in Alkaleri Local Government Area (LGA) of the state and the fourth case is a tourist from Kano State who visited the Yankari Games Reserve in the same LGA in Bauchi State.

    The NCDC has consequently activated the  Emergency Operations Centre to coordinate the response to the outbreak.

    The Director General of the NCDC,  Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, said the centre  was first notified ”on the 29th of August, when we received the report of a confirmed case of Yellow Fever in Kano State from a laboratory in our Yellow Fever laboratory network.

    “Subsequent investigations led by the Kano State Epidemiology Team established that this confirmed case of yellow fever was from a patient who visited the Yankari Game Reserve in Bauchi, in August 2019 with his father. Unfortunately, the father died with similar symptoms before a sample could be collected and tested.

    Read Also: Yellow Fever: Ebonyi to commence mass immunization of residents

    ”Subsequently, on the 3rd of September 2019, the Borno State Epidemiology Team reported deaths among students of Waka College of Education in Biu LGA Borno State. These students visited the Yankari Game Resort in August 2019.  Of the 95 Students that visited the resort, eight of them developed symptoms and six had died as at the time of the report. The others are in a stable condition. Samples from these cases are being tested.”

    Ihekweazu however noted that Intensification of surveillance activities led to the identification of three more confirmed cases who are all resident in Alkaleri Local Government Area (LGA), of Bauchi state.

    He also revealed that “ a multi-agency Yellow Fever technical working group coordinated by NCDC, has been leading the preparedness and response to yellow fever in Nigeria. The National Primary Health Care Development Agency is leading efforts to provide an additional opportunity of vaccination through preventive vaccination campaigns across the country.

  • Yellow Fever: Residents throng vaccination centres in Edo

    Few days after Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki got vaccinated against yellow fever, residents in the 18 local government areas have besieged health centres to get doses of the vaccine, which will protect them from the disease.

    Recall that Governor Obaseki last week received a dose of the vaccine after the state’s Executive Council (EXCO) weekly meeting, where he commended the Federal Ministry of Health for the prompt delivery of three million doses of the vaccine in response to the outbreak of yellow fever in the state.

    Checks at health centres across the state indicate that after the governor’s action and with increased awareness on the need for vaccination, residents have taken up the challenge to also get vaccinated against the disease.

    Speaking with journalists after being administered with the vaccine at Government House in Benin City, Mr. Igboka Felix, said he never expected the process to be as easy and stress-free, noting that he decided to get the vaccine after relentless calls by the state government on the need to get vaccinated.

    According to him, “I just got the vaccine. With the way it is going, I think the concerned agencies are doing a good job. Everything went smoothly. It is a good initiative for them to come here, especially for those of us who have less time to visit health centers to be vaccinated.”

    The Head Vaccinator, Mrs Constance Osayi expressed satisfaction with the process, noting that the turnout was impressive, as more people have become aware of the danger of not getting vaccinated.

    Mrs. Osayi, however, warned against that the vaccine cannot be administered on pregnant women, infants below nine months old, people on anti-retroviral drugs.

    John Iyamu, who got the vaccine at a Primary Health Center in Auchi, said he didn’t consider taking the vaccine as top priority until he saw the governor on the television being administered with the vaccine.

    In Edo Central Senatorial District, residents are responding to calls to be vaccinated as many were seen taking shots of the vaccine at designated health centres. 

    Governor Obaseki said that the state government provided logistics to get the vaccine to every part of the state, especially where outbreak of the disease was recorded.

  • Yellow Fever endemic spread to 10 LGs in Edo

    The outbreak of Yellow Fever in parts of Edo State has spread to 10 local government areas in the state.

    Nine persons have been confirmed dead from the yellow fever outbreak.

    State Commissioner for Health, Dr. David Osifo, who disclosed this at an audience participatory programme on radio monitored in Benin City said seven of the yellow fever victims could not make it to the hospital after they tested positive to yellow fever.

    Dr. Osifo who did not give names of the affected local councils said the age range of the dead were between 14 and 20 years.

    Osifo said a number of the dead were either omitted or not presented for the vaccination by Caregivers or parents during the regular vaccination exercises while they were infant.

    “We have recorded nine cases of yellow fever. The disease has spread to 10 LGA’s out of the 18 LGA’s in Edo State.

    “Late arrival is the problem we have. We have informed the Honourable minister of Health,” he said.

    Dr. Osifo said the federal Ministry of Health has promised to provide more vaccines while health personnel across the Primary Health Care (PHC’s) are ready to adequately respond to suspected yellow fever cases.

     

  • Yellow fever: Nigeria, partners target 26.2m people for vaccination 

    No fewer than 26.2 million People are expected to be vaccinated in the second round of the yellow fever campaign, it was learnt.

    The campaign is taking place as Nigeria experiences a yellow fever outbreak. Since its start in September 2017, confirmed cases have been recorded in 27 Local Government Areas across 14 states.

    The campaign, which is funded by Gavi will run from 22 November to 1 December 2018 and will target children and adults in Plateau, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger and Borno states as well as the Federal Capital Territory.

    The first phase of the campaign took place in January and February 2018 in Kwara, Kogi and Zamfara states and parts of Borno state. About 8.7 million adults and children between the ages of 9 months and 45 years of ages were vaccinated. A total of 39.9 million people are expected to be vaccinated against yellow fever this year.

    Yellow fever is caused by a virus spread through the bite of infected mosquitos. Some patients can develop serious symptoms, including high fever and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), but the disease can be easily prevented by a vaccine that provides immunity for life.

    Hence, the current campaign which is the biggest-ever yellow fever campaign, seeks to establish high population immunity nationwide and will be carried out by the government of Nigeria and support from the World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and UNICEF.

    “Immunizing more than 26 million people is a massive undertaking,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “But this achievement will represent a huge step towards protecting people from the potentially deadly viral haemorrhagic disease not only in Nigeria but in the African region.”

    “The vaccination will be for people within 9 months to 44 years cohort, parents are advised to avail themselves and their children to partake in the vaccination; The vaccine is free, safe and effective,” said Dr Joseph Oteri, Director of Special Duties at Nigeria’s National Primary Health Care Development Agency. ”

    To ensure runs smooth running of the campaign, the Federal Ministry of Health, in collaboration with WHO with support from Gavi, has trained and deployed Management Support Teams (MST). The MSTs are overseeing preparations in the run-up to the campaign and, in partnership with WHO yellow fever experts, will act as supervisors and provide technical assistance during the campaign itself.

    “Nigeria is on the front line in the global battle against yellow fever,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “Routine immunisation coverage remains dangerously low, as shown by the latest outbreak, which is why this campaign is so important to protect the vulnerable. While this campaign will save lives, we need to focus our efforts on the best long-term solution – improving routine immunisation coverage so every child is protected, preventing outbreaks from happening in the first place.”

    Nigeria is one of 50 partners pursuing the Eliminate Yellow Fever Epidemics (EYE) strategy.  Steered by WHO, Gavi and UNICEF, the strategy seeks to protect at-risk populations, prevent international spread and contain outbreaks rapidly.

    As part of EYE, Nigeria has developed a 10-year strategic elimination plan to reduce the incidence of yellow fever epidemics and to vaccinate at least 80% of the target population in all states by 2026.

    Routine yellow fever immunization coverage in Nigeria remains extremely low. In 2016, the national routine immunization coverage (NICS) for yellow fever for children between 12 and 23 months was 39%.

    Large epidemics of yellow fever occur when infected people introduce the virus into heavily populated areas with high mosquito density and low vaccination coverage. A confirmed case of yellow fever in an unvaccinated population is a potential epidemic threat.

    Gavi’s support for the campaign is part of its wider commitment to boosting Nigeria’s low immunisation coverage. In return for a commitment from the Nigerian government to invest $2 billion of its own money into its vaccine programmes over the next ten years as well as a detailed accountability framework, Gavi has committed to continue supporting the country until 2028, protecting millions of children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases and helping Nigeria to save more than a million lives.

     

  • WHO begins campaign to eradicate yellow fever in Nigeria

    World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday it has commenced campaign to eradicate Yellow fever in the country and has vaccinated two million people in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Borno and surrounding communities.

    The programme, according to WHO, started in February.

    The WHO Communications Officer, Ms Charity Warigon, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja.

    She said the campaign, which would run through 2018, was aimed at vaccinating 25 million Nigerians in different parts of the country, while immunisation would continue in the coming years.

    She said the campaign was in response to yellow fever cases reported in the country when the first case was confirmed in 2017 in Kwara.

    According to her, 41 cases were confirmed in seven states and more than 1,700 suspected cases reported from all states in the country since that period.

    Warigon said the campaign was the largest ever yellow fever mass campaign in the country, adding that the programme was part of comprehensive strategy by WHO, United Nations International Children Education Fund (UNICEF) and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to Eliminate Yellow Fever (EYE) in Africa by 2026.

    She said: “In Borno where millions of people are in need of humanitarian assistance, no case of yellow fever has been confirmed so far.

    “The presumptive positive case of the disease however highlighted the importance of protecting the highly vulnerable population against yellow fever in this extremely fragile area.

    “Since humanitarian crisis unfolded in the North East following the Boko Haram insurgency in the region, Borno has been bedevilled with problems.”

    NAN

     

  • Yellow fever gets WHO’s, partners’ attention

    About a billion persons will be vaccinated against yellow fever in 27 high-risk African countries by 2026 with the support from World Health organisation (WHO); Gavi-the Vaccine Alliance, UNICEF and more than 50 health partners.

    The commitment is part of the Eliminate Yellow fever Epidemics (EYE) in Africa strategy, which was launched by WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,  Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, and partners at a regional meeting in Abuja.

    According to WHO Director-General, Dr Ghebreyesus, “the world is facing an increased risk of Yellow fever outbreak and Africa is particularly vulnerable. “With one injection we can protect a person for life against this dangerous pathogen. This unprecedented commitment by countries will ensure that by 2026 Africa is free of Yellow fever epidemics,” Dr Ghebreyesus said.

    During the three-day EYE strategy regional launch meeting representatives from key African countries, WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, and other partners developed a roadmap on how to roll-out the strategy at national level. This implementation effort follows the endorsement of the strategy by African Ministers of Health at the 67th WHO regional committee in September 2017.

    “This comprehensive, global strategy offers an unprecedented opportunity to end the devastating Yellow fever epidemics that periodically impact Africa,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “Ensuring that the most vulnerable communities have access to the vaccine through routine systems plays a central role in making this happens. Vaccine manufacturers and Gavi partners have worked hard to improve the global vaccine supply situation in recent years to make sure there is enough vaccine to respond to outbreaks, allow preventive campaigns and that routine immunisation functions at full capacity.”

    The three objectives of the strategy include protecting at-risk populations through preventive mass vaccination campaigns and routine immunisation programmes, preventing international spread, and containing outbreaks rapidly. Developing strong surveillance with robust laboratory networks is key to these efforts.

    UNICEF will make vaccines available, advocate for greater political commitment and provide support in vaccinating children through routine immunisation as well as during outbreaks of the disease.

    “Today, the threat of yellow fever looms larger than ever before, especially for thousands of children across Africa,” said Stefan Peterson, UNICEF’s Chief of Health, adding: “Given that almost half of the people to be vaccinated are children under 15 years of age, this campaign is critical to saving children’s lives, and would go a long way towards stamping out of this disease.”

    After outbreaks of Yellow fever in densely populated cities in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo had caused 400 deaths in 2016, the acute viral haemorrhagic disease re-emerged as a serious global public health threat. Brazil is currently battling its worst outbreak of Yellow fever in decades with more than 1,000 confirmed cases. The ease and speed of population movements, rapid urbanisation and a resurgence of mosquitoes due to global warming, have significantly increased the risk of urban outbreaks with international spread.

    Experience in West Africa demonstrates that the EYE strategy can work. When Yellow fever re-emerged as a public health issue in the early 2000s, countries in the region controlled the epidemics through preventive mass campaigns combined with routine immunisation. No yellow fever epidemics have been recorded since in countries which successfully implemented this approach.

  • Niger records 33 cases of measles

    Niger records 33 cases of measles

    The Niger state Commissioner of Health, Dr. Mustapha Jibril has disclosed that the state has recorded 33 cases of measles and one case of yellow fever in the state this year.

    According to him, the case of the yellow fever was reported in Borgu local government area adding that reactive vaccination campaign have started in the local government and surrounding local government areas in order to curtail it.

    Briefing newsmen on the 2018 measles vaccination campaign in Minna, the Commissioner said that the cases were recorded before the commencement of the measles campaign which started on the 10tg of January.

    According to him, 216 measles cases were reported in 2017 but 67 were confirmed adding that if the measles vaccination campaign goes on as planned, there would be limited cases of measles outbreak in 2019 in the state.

    He said that in three days, 542,712 children under the age of zero to nine have been vaccinated stating that with this development, there is optimism that the target of immunising 1.2 children would be surpassed.

    Jibril said that all the local government Chairman and ward Councillors to fully participate, monitor and supervise the measles vaccination campaign and report any non-compliances or rejection.

    The Executive Director of the Niger state Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Yahaya Na’uzo said that 12,000 health personnel have been deployed to 1,800 vaccination centers in all the local government areas to ensure adequate coverage of the campaign.

    He said that for the for effective monitoring and supervision,  the measles campaign was scheduled for two phrases,  the first phrase would take place in 16 local government areas and started on the 10th and would end on the 16th February  while the second phrase will begin from 20th to 26th February in nine local government areas.

    Na’uzo expressed satisfaction in the turnout adding that if the turn out continues, the target of vaccinating 1.2 million children would be surpassed.

     

  • WHO embarks on yellow fever vaccination in Borno

    WHO embarks on yellow fever vaccination in Borno

    The World Health Organisation ( WHO ) says it will commence vaccination against yellow fever in Borno as part of effort toward eliminating the disease in the country.

    Field Communication Officer of the organisation, Mr Chima Omiekwe, who disclosed this to newsmen on Friday in Maiduguri, said the campaign would commence on Tuesday and end on Feb. 14, 2019.

    Omiekwe said that the exercise would be conducted in 288 political wards across the 25 local government areas in the state.

    He explained that the campaign was aimed at reducing yellow fever transmission in line with the strategy to eliminate Yellow Fever in 2026.

    He said that the target groups were between nine months to 45 years, especially among Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    Omiekwe said that no fewer than 3,000 health workers, opinion leaders, community leaders and primary teachers would be involved in the process, particularly in surveillance.

    Read Also: Lassa fever: Three died in Taraba – WHO

    According to him, the surveillance component will enable stakeholders to rapidly detect, investigate and respond to any suspected or confirmed case of yellow fever.

    “The first phase of the campaign will be conducted in some designated camps and host communities in Jere, Konduga, MMC and Mafa councils.

    “We are focusing on the IDPs because of the risk assessment in camps. As you know, a lot of these IDPs are living in bad sanitary conditions.

    “They are living in an environment that is prone to diseases,” he said.

    He stated that about one million doses of vaccine would be administered during the period.

  • Nigeria set to vaccinate 25 million against yellow fever

    Nigeria set to vaccinate 25 million against yellow fever

    The Federal Government is launching a mass vaccination campaign to prevent the spread of yellow fever.

    With support from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and partners, the country is expected to vaccinate more than 25 million people throughout 2018.

    Already, WHO has pledged 20 million doses of vaccines annually for the eradication of yellow fever in the country for next nine years.

    The campaign, which is the second phase 2 of vaccination against yellow fever, will kick off in four states, Kogi, Kwara , Zamfara and Borno states, where the country has recorded outbreaks of the disease.

    The phase 1 was completed in 2014 covering 20 states and the Federal Capital Territory. About 10.4 million people were vaccinated in the exercise.

    The phase 2 preventive mass campaign is targeting  between 09 months to 45 years of age in the vaccination campaign with coverage target of 25 million people by end of 2018.

    In a statement in Abuja yesterday by WHO Communication Officer Charity Warigon, the exercise is in line with global elimination of yellow fever epidemic by 2026.

    “The goal of the Yellow Fever Preventive Mass Vaccination Campaign is to reduce yellow fever transmission by achieving 90% coverage in implementing States and Local Government Areas in line with the strategy for the Elimination of Yellow fever Epidemics by 2026,” said Dr Faisal Shuaib, Executive Director of National Primary Healthcare Development Agency.

    “With a single dose of vaccine, an individual is protected for life against yellow fever,” said Dr Wondimagegnehu Alemu, WHO Representative in Nigeria. “This is a massive undertaking which took weeks of planning. Nearly 3000 vaccination teams are being deployed across the four states participating in the campaign.”

  • Ongoing vaccination to prevent Yellow Fever – Kwara Govt

    Ongoing vaccination to prevent Yellow Fever – Kwara Govt

    The Kwara Government sys the ongoing Reactive Vaccination in Ifelodun Local Government Area and other neighbouring communities is to prevent the spread of Yellow Fever.

    The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Atolagbe Alege, made this known in a signed statement on Wednesday in Ilorin.

    Alege explained that the vaccination exercise has no connection with the Nigerian Army and is not dangerous to children’s health as it has been rumoured by certain individuals.

    According to Alege, the exercise is part of campaign towards preventing and eradicating yellow fever in the state.

    He noted that the immunisation was being administered by qualified health personnel working with the ministry of health and the local government council officials.

    Alege, who said the vaccination commenced on Saturday (Oct. 14) will run for 10 days, added that the exercise is supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

    He also said the vaccination exercise has the support of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

    The commissioner therefore appealed to traditional rulers, community leaders, religious leaders, school proprietors, parents/guardians and residents of the state to remain calm.

    Alege also called on the people to support the ongoing immunisation exercise in the affected communities, adding “the vaccine is safe for our health”.

    He restated the commitment of the state government towards quality healthcare delivery in the state. (NAN)