Brazil to vaccinate its entire population against yellow fever

Brazilian Health Minister, Ricardo Barros has proposed to vaccinate the entire country ‘as a preventive measure’ against yellow fever after the disease emerged in new areas. The country is grappling with an outbreak that has killed more than 164 people so far.The recommendation will now be discussed with international organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

Brazil is experiencing its largest yellow fever outbreak in almost 20 years. At the start of February, vaccination efforts began in states of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Bahia, seeking to immunize 19.7 million people against yellow fever.

If the government approves the idea, separate programs will take place in each state of the country, said Barros. The vaccination campaign should be rolled out gradually, according to the capacity of each state, he added.

Brazil rushed to vaccinate millions of people in a massive campaign last year, and it is continuing those efforts this year.

Brazil has confirmed 545 cases of yellow fever with 164 deaths from July 1, 2017, to Feb. 20, 2018. A further 1,773 suspected cases have been noted, with 685 having been eliminated and 422 still under investigation.