Disease Outbreak News

Yellow fever - Senegal

20 October 2005

Description of the situation

As of October 11, the Senegalese Ministry of Health (MOH), has reported two fatal laboratory confirmed cases in the district of Goudiri: a 20 year old man and a 10 year old girl died on 25 Sep 2005 and 30 Sep 2005, respectively. Results of the epidemiological investigation are pending.

The MOH with WHO and UNICEF support has organized a mass vaccination campaign in Goudiri and the neighbouring district of Kidira targeting a population of 150,000 persons, to control the transmission of disease in this region.

The vaccine utilized in this immunization campaign, which started on 4 October 2005, form part of a stockpile of 3,000,000 doses of yellow fever vaccine awarded by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) to Senegal in 2004 to undertake preventive routine vaccination.

Further information