Yellow Fever kills Four in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABEBA – Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health reveals today at least four people have lost their lives due to yellow fever.

The first two cases of the disease were reported on March 3 in Gurage zone of Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR), and the number had increased to six by April 6, according to the World Health Organisation.

“So far, eighty-six (86) confirmed cases and four (4) deaths have been reported,” said the ministry of health in a statement today.

The number of yellow fever-related deaths has outnumbered the lives lost due to COVID-19, – another outbreak Ethiopia is currently fighting.

As part of a response to contain yellow fever, active case search is on-going in five kebeles of the district and 1, 277 households and two schools have been visited, according to the Ministry.

Health officials also said more than 27, 000 individuals have received the yellow fever vaccine.

“The outbreak is already contained,” said the ministry, which said since 29th of March, “zero cases have been reported”.

Symptoms of the infection include fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting and fatigue, and it kills thousands of people a year worldwide.

Ethiopia had to offer over a million yellow fever vaccinations to its population to contain the spread of the disease in 2018. During that time, the virus infected 35 people and killed 10 in Wolayta zone of the same region.