Angola's front line against yellow fever

By Fatodu Adeoluamazing tinnz News, Angola

• 26 June 2016
 
• From the sectionAfrica

Image captionMore than 300 people have so far died in the current yellow fever outbreak in Angola

In the green and shaded gardens of the Americo Boavida Hospital in Angola's capital, Luanda, women in colourful printed dresses wait patiently for visiting hours to begin.

It is one of the biggest hospitals in the city, serving almost two million people.

Malaria is the most common killer here, but since December last year they have had to counter another, potentially more dangerous, mosquito-borne virus: Yellow fever.

In its 16 June report, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that 345 people are reported to have died from yellow fever in the last seven months among more than 3,000 cases in Angola.

Not since 1971 has there been such a serious outbreak, and the reasons why it has happened now are complex and many.

Image captionNot everyone who has the yellow fever virus experiences symptoms

Dr Fortunato Silva, the clinical director at Americo Boavida, says that this outbreak is more worrying not only in relation to the number of cases, but also the number of deaths.

He thinks some of the reasons for this may include the virus becoming more virulent, immunity levels amongst the population dropping and most critically, people not vaccinating as they should.

"Ninety patients have been hospitalised with fever, jaundice and haemorrhaging, since 23 February," Dr Silva said.

"There have been 33 deaths, which is a very high mortality rate. All of them had tested negative for malaria."

Angola's health system is well regarded, and there are established countrywide vaccination and awareness programmes.

Since 1989, babies have been vaccinated against yellow fever at the age of nine months, and children cannot attend school unless they have a valid yellow fever certificate.

Despite this, Dr Silva says, something is not working, and there are questions that need to be answered in terms of public health strategies.

Image captionAbout 15% of people who have yellow fever experience severe symptoms

Dr Francisco Songane, the representative in Angola for the UN children's fund, Unicef, describes what is happening as "a major crisis".

He says critical time was lost between samples being taken, tests being run, and results finally arriving three weeks later.

By the time confirmation of yellow fever came, it had spread from the densely populated area of K30, part of the capital's Viana district, and then across the entire city.