7 April 2016, Luanda – The World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti and the Director-General of WHO, Dr Margaret Chan have concluded a three-day official visit to Angola. The visit aimed at assessing the ongoing efforts to prevent and control the yellow fever epidemic which has gripped the country since December 2015, and to identify ways of further strengthening support to Angola.

The first cases of the current yellow fever epidemic in Angola were detected in district of Viana in an area placed 30 km from the centre of the Capital of the province of Luanda. Viana is one of the district of the big urban area of Luanda and has been the epicentre of the epidemic. To date a total of 516 cases of yellow fever and 230 deaths have been confirmed in Angola. 

The visit comes at a time when there is an urgent need to immunize over 19 million people more throughout the country who are at risk of getting infected with yellow fever due to the countrywide present of the vector. Up to date, 5.8 million people have been vaccinated in Luanda against yellow fever using vaccines from the International Coordination Group emergency stockpile.  With support from WHO, about 7.355 million doses of yellow fever vaccine have been acquired by the country respond to the outbreak.

Dr Moeti called on the various stakeholders, including the private sector and families, to actively participate in efforts by the government to curb this epidemic. “The time to act against this outbreak is now,” she said, “The WHO African Regional Office calls on immunization partners to work closely with the Government of Angola to step up efforts to immunize all vulnerable communities – knowing that a single shot will provide life-long protection against the disease.”

The WHO Director General appreciated the opportunity to have visited a vaccination post against yellow fever in Luanda, as well as the Luanda General Hospital one of the identified referral hospitals in the province for the treatment of the most severe cases. "We found that the number of yellow fever cases has reduced, and I congratulate the Government of Angola for its efforts," said Dr Chan, stressing however that "there is still room for more action."

WHO has taken urgent action to support the government for the containment of this outbreak, working not only with the Ministry of Health but also with other partners to ensure the vaccination of the people in the affected areas.

Vaccination is the most important preventive measure against yellow fever. The vaccine is safe, affordable and highly effective. A single dose of yellow fever vaccine is sufficient to confer sustained immunity and life-long protection against yellow fever disease and a booster dose of yellow fever vaccine is not needed. The vaccine provides effective immunity within 30 days for 99% of persons vaccinated.

However it has also been emphasized during the visit by the WHO Director General and the Regional Director at the necessity to make aware the population about the importance of their understanding and involvement in the vector control activities and in the elimination of the breading sites of the Vector, the mosquito Aedes Aegyptus, in their houses and their near environment. Without this involvement of the community, they make continue to be victims not only of the yellow fever but potentially of all other diseases transmitted by the same vector: Dengue, Chikungunya and the new Zika virus that is currently affecting the American continent.

With the spread of the outbreak to other provinces in Angola and beyond, WHO is in discussion with manufacturers and partners to take urgent measures to replenish the emergency stockpile of vaccines.

Partners working with WHO and the Ministry of Health include UNICEF, CDC/Atlanta, CORE Group, Médicins Sans Frontières, Medicos del Mundo, the National Red Cross of Angola and several other local community-based organizations.

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For more information, please contact:
Dr. Hernando Agudelo, WHO Representative- Angola,  agudeloh [at] who.int,  Tel:+4724135624, 
José Soares Caetano, Health Information and Promotion Officer, email: soarescaetanoj [at] who.int Tel: +244 926 546 698; 
C. Boakye-Agyemang,  Regional Communications Adviser, Boakyeagyemangc [at] who.int;  Tel +47-241-39420,  Cel: +242 06 614 2401