Physical Wellness

Yellow Fever Worse Than Zika Virus? Africa Crisis 'Serious Concern,' Says WHO

By Dheeraj Rawal | Update Date: May 21, 2016 06:00 AM EDT

The World Health Organization recently gave its verdict regarding the recent occurrences of another deadly disease, Yellow Fever, other than Zika Virus, which is currently spreading in certain regions of Africa like Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to the health agency, the Yellow Fever is not a state of emergency, as the international spread of the disease is under control. But, the organization confirmed that the fever still can be considered as a serious public health concern.

During a press conference in Geneva, the chief of the Outbreaks and Health Emergencies Cluster at WHO, Bruce Aylward, said that the urban Yellow Fever is a cause of major concern because of the possibility of rapid spread, reported Vice News. Bruce said that once the Yellow Fever situation elevates like Zika Virus, then it would be an emergency for the whole world.

DNA India reported that the Yellow Fever has already spread to an African capital, Kinshasa with millions of inhabitants. It is also reported that the some Yellow Fever infected patients have also been noticed in Kenya and China.

With that said, the chairman of the WHO emergency committee, Oyewale Tomori, has instructed the Yellow Fever affected countries to take appropriate measures in order to prevent the Zika virus-like situation.

"The affected countries need to make absolutely sure that visitors are vaccinated against the Yellow Fever virus," said Tomori, as reported by NY Times. "Also, the surveillance needs to be intensified, mass vaccinations should be organized, and the risk communication needs to be improved."

Even though the information suggest that Yellow Fever has been tamed for the moment, a former infectious disease specialist at Duke-NUS Medical School, Duane Gubler, has warned that the fever still poses a grave danger.  "I think it was the correct decision," said Duane, as reported by CNN. "However, the threat is there and needs to be recognized, not ignored like we usually do."

Meanwhile, there are reports that the Yellow Fever is caused by a virus spread by Aedes Aegypti, which is the same mosquito that spreads Zika virus. "The symptoms usually begin three to six days after a bite from an infected mosquito and last about three or four days," reported Market Watch. "They include fever, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite. Yellow fever can be confused as dengue fever, malaria or another illness."

To date, more than 2,400 people have been reported to be infected with Yellow Fever out of which 300 people have died.

© 2023 Counsel & Heal All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Join the Conversation

Real Time Analytics