Yellow fever outbreak in Brazil

Several news stories and epidemiological updates on the yellow fever outbreak in Brazil:

Brazil orders 11.5 million yellow fever vaccines amid worst outbreak in years

From Straitstimes.com: Rio de Janeiro said on Saturday (March 11) it plans to vaccinate the state’s entire population against yellow fever in response to an outbreak that has killed at least 113 people around Brazil. Although Rio has not registered any cases, it is close to where the disease has taken hold in the neighbouring states of Minas Gerais, Espirito Santo and Sao Paulo. The aim is “to expand the strategy of vaccination as a preventative measure”, the Rio health department said in a statement.

The state government said it’s aiming to vaccinate the whole population by the end of the year. A total of 12 million doses will be required, with three million already ordered, the statement said. Brazil’s health ministry says that yellow fever, which is carried by mosquitoes, has been confirmed in 352 cases, with another 915 under investigation in an unusually severe outbreak. So far 113 deaths have been confirmed from the disease, with 104 more under investigation.

New England Journal of Medicine essay:

Yellow Fever — Once Again on the Radar Screen in the Americas
Catharine I. Paules, M.D., and Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.  March 8, 2017

World Health Organization and Pan American Health Organization report:

Epidemiological Update – Yellow Fever – 9 March 2017