Yellow fever in Guinea

14 January 2009 -- On 31 December 2008, The Ministry of Health (MoH), Guinea reported two laboratory confirmed cases of Yellow fever in the health district of Faranah. Both cases were reported by the Yellow fever surveillance system and presented with symptoms of fever and jaundice. The initial case was a 40-year old man from Faranah Koura and the second case was another 40-year old man from the sector of Nianfourando, both localities belong to Faranah centre area. The onset of symptoms for both cases was the beginning of November 2008.

The cases were confirmed at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Yellow Fever, the Pasteur Institute, Dakar, Senegal where differential diagnosis for other haemorrhagic fevers was carried out. Additionally, another 21 clinical Yellow fever suspected cases were reported, of which three died.

On the basis of the outbreak investigation, a reactive mass vaccination campaign, planned for 26 January 2009 and targeting 60,485 people, will be carried out in some strategic areas in the health district of Faranah. The MoH has made a request for Yellow fever vaccines for the mass vaccination campaign from the GAVI funded Global Emergency Stockpile for Yellow fever Vaccine, managed by the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision for Yellow Fever Control (YF-ICG).