Yellow Fever
Vaccines Targets 12 Million West Africans
A mass yellow fever immunisation is starting in West Africa,
targeting 12 million people in Benin, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Health charities are rolling out the vaccines to people in these
countries after identifying the high risk areas.
Local health staff in the target countries will vaccinate about
12 million people, as well as give out vitamin A and de-worming
tablets.
Danger zone
Thirteen African nations are said to be at high risk of
outbreaks of yellow fever, which is fatal if untreated.
Yellow fever is spread through infected mosquitoes and has a
wide array of symptoms from nausea and vomiting to kidney
failure, jaundice and bleeding.
The World Health Organisation says it is not aiming to eliminate
yellow fever but to greatly reduce the number of people getting
sick with the disease.
It aims to finish mass vaccinations in all high-risk African
countries by the Year 2015 and has warned of funding needs to
take the programme to the remaining countries most affected by
yellow fever in West Africa.
BBC/Yinka
