Yellow Fever Enters Rio

The Brazilian State Department of Health (BSDH) confirmed the first case of yellow fever in the Metropolitan Region of Rio. This is the 11th case of the confirmed disease in the State of Rio, and the third death from yellow fever.

"The Municipal Health Department is planning to increase vaccinations for the entire city, which should be done progressively, due to the coverage in the area of ​​blockade and the receipt of new lots," said the BSDH.

The municipality decided to intensify the vaccination in 14 neighborhoods of its rural zone. 

The city council of Rio also said that Rio will be treated by the state authorities as a priority, which means sending the necessary yellow fever vaccine doses for the immunization of the population.

Brazil has been battling an unusually high number of yellow fever cases since December 2016, making it Brazil's worst yellow fever outbreak among humans in decades, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Fortunately, a vaccine for yellow fever is readily available and effective. First issued widely in 1939, WHO recommends the yellow fever vaccine for anyone living in an area where the disease is endemic.

The Centers for Disease and Control (CDC) has issued a level 2 travel warning for Brazil, urging anyone 9 months or older traveling to affected areas of Brazil to get vaccinated against yellow fever.

“The extensive outbreak of yellow fever now occurring in Brazil deserves careful attention by world health authorities”, noted Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

In its most serious form, yellow fever symptoms include high fever, hemorrhagic manifestations, kidney failure, liver malfunction and jaundice (yellowish appearance of the eyes and skin, which gives the disease its name.)

Known today to be spread by infected mosquitoes, yellow fever was long believed to be a miasmatic disease originating in rotting vegetable matter.

Historically, yellow fever has claimed millions of lives, including thousands in the United States. The first recorded American yellow fever epidemic was reported in Philadelphia, during July 1793. This outbreak killed thousands of people, as Philadelphia was the nation’s capital, and the most cosmopolitan city in the United States.

According to the NIAID, a yellow fever vaccine has been available since 1937 and confers lifelong immunity in up to 99 percent of those who receive it.

“When traveling into at-risk areas, getting the Yellow Fever vaccine is a safe bet,’ said Rannon Ching, Pharm.D, a travel vaccine specialist at Tarrytown Pharmacy in Austin, TX.

“Access to the yellow fever vaccination is one of the biggest barriers to becoming immunized.”

“Only CDC and state authorized yellow fever vaccination centers can administer the Yellow Fever vaccine. Some community pharmacies have certified staff available and offer online scheduling services to streamline the patient experience, Ching.”

After receiving the vaccine, you should receive an International Certificate of Vaccination (yellow card) that has been validated by the vaccination center. This Certificate becomes valid 10 days after vaccination.