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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 17 January 2018

WHO: All of Sao Paulo state at risk for yellow fever

By SARAH DiLORENZO ered at risk for the virus, but
Associated Press a corridor along the coast
SAO PAULO (AP) — The was long largely consid-
World Health Organization ered safe.
announced Tuesday that Last year, however, Bra-
it now considers all of Sao zil saw an unusually large
Paulo state at risk for yellow outbreak of the disease,
fever, recommending that including in areas not pre-
all international visitors to viously thought to be at
the state be vaccinated. risk. More than 770 people
That puts the megacity of were infected, and more
Sao Paulo on the list. than 250 died.
But Brazil’s Health Ministry In response, the WHO be-
said in a statement that it gan expanding its map of
was not changing its own, areas of transmission, in-
recently updated map cluding adding all of Rio de
of at-risk areas, which in- Janeiro state.
cludes only certain parts of Brazil rushed to vaccinate
the state and city. millions of people in a mas-
The ministry said that the sive campaign last year,
WHO’s more-cautious rec- and it is continuing those
ommendation for foreign- efforts this year.
ers was made in light of the Just last week, the Health
fact that it is impossible to Ministry announced that
know where visitors might a new campaign would
travel once they arrive in vaccinate nearly 20 million A man receives a vaccine against yellow fever at a public health center in Sao Paulo, Brazil,
Sao Paulo state. people in dozens of cities in Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018. The World Health Organization announced Tuesday that it now considers
Antonio Nardi, a senior of- Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro all of Sao Paulo state at risk for yellow fever, recommending that all international visitors to the
ficial at the ministry, later and Bahia states. state be vaccinated.
told reporters it was the Sao Paulo health authori- (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
result of an “excess of con- ties announced Tuesday the country has “sufficient A full dose is generally con- “They wait until a person
cern.” they would start vaccina- vaccine to vaccinate the sidered effective for life. dies, to have who knows
The announcement comes tions a few days early and entire Brazilian population if Even before the WHO an- how many deaths, for the
as an outbreak is gathering said the campaign would necessary.” nouncement, Brazilian me- public to be frightened to
steam in Brazil during the vaccinate about half of Brazil is a major producer dia were reporting long start vaccinating.” There
Southern Hemisphere sum- the state’s population by of yellow fever vaccines, lines at health centers in is no known treatment for
mer rainy season and just the end of next month. but last year it requested Sao Paulo and Rio de Ja- yellow fever, and vaccina-
weeks ahead of Carnival, Most of those people will 3.5 million doses from inter- neiro on Tuesday morning. tion campaigns are consid-
a major draw for foreign receive a fractional dose of national emergency stock- “They should have already ered crucial to containing
tourists. the vaccine — a strategy piles. Brazilian authorities vaccinated the whole outbreaks. Symptoms of
Nardi noted that most Car- the WHO recommends to say studies have shown that population of this country,” the disease include fever,
nival activities happen in contain ongoing outbreaks a fractional dose is effec- said Roberta Tonelli Fer- muscle pain, and nausea;
cities, not in the forested that threaten to outrun tive for at least eight years, reira, 61-year-old who vis- some patients also expe-
areas that are of most con- vaccine supplies. though a WHO factsheet ited a health center in Sao rience abdominal pain,
cern, and so visitors should Nardi declined to say how only goes as far as saying Paulo on Tuesday with her kidney problems and the
be safe. many doses Brazil has in its it is effective for at least a granddaughter Valentina, jaundice from which the
Since July 2017, 35 cases strategic stocks, but he said year “and likely longer.” who is 2. disease gets its name.q
of yellow fever have been
confirmed in Brazil, 20 of
them in Sao Paulo state Ex-Ecuador leader Correa leaves leftist ruling party
and three in Rio de Janeiro
state, according to Health QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — tion.” Correa announced called Citizens’ Revolution, last year. Moreno pushed
Ministry data released Former President Rafael he is removing himself the phrase Correa often through a national ref-
Tuesday. Correa on Tuesday left the from Alianza Pais, the leftist uses to describe his social- erendum next month in
In all, 20 people have died. political party that helped movement he founded in ist movement aimed at which Ecuadoreans will
Yellow fever is spread by cement his rise to power in 2006. More than two dozen reducing the nation’s in- vote on a proposed con-
the same mosquito that Ecuador, the latest step in a other leaders and lawmak- equality. stitutional amendment that
transmits other tropical dis- fight with the man he chose ers are also quitting. President Lenin Moreno would make it impossible
eases, including Zika. to succeed him and con- The departing faction in- has fallen out of favor with for Correa to run again for
Much of Brazil is consid- tinue his “Citizens’ Revolu- tends to start a new party Correa since his election president.q