Under-Vaccinations Empower Nigeria's Yellow Fever Outbreaks

The peer-review BMC Public Health journal recently published new research that found while the WHO's Eliminating Yellow fever Epidemic (EYE) strategy was launched in Nigeria in April 2018, the Oyo State's substandard vaccination coverage continues to cause local outbreaks.

Since yellow fever disease has no cure, the EYE strategy focuses on infected mosquito control and vaccination programs.

Since 2018, close to 200 million people have been protected against yellow fever in Africa.

In 2020 alone, 48 million people were protected against yellow fever in Africa in 2020, despite COVID-19, through preventive, reactive, and catch-up campaigns.

The earliest yellow fever outbreak in Nigeria was reported in Lagos in 1864.

A large epidemic of yellow fever occurred in Oyo State in April and May 1987 following an epidemic of sylvatic yellow fever in Eastern Nigeria the previous year.

For several years, no further confirmed cases were reported until September 2017, when Nigeria began responding to successive outbreaks. 

Results from an assessment in 2017 produced a 46% yellow fever vaccination coverage rate.

However, the U.S. CDC reported in September 2021, yellow fever outbreaks were active in Bauchi, Benue, Delta, Ebonyi, and Enugu states.

The CDC's Level 2 Travel advisory says, 'Unless vaccinated, travelers should not visit these areas.'

The renewed onset of yellow fever outbreaks in Nigeria followed a global trend of reports from other African countries.

Yellow fever is a vaccine-preventable acute viral hemorrhagic disease endemic in tropical Africa, confirmed this study on March 8, 2022.

Effective yellow fever vaccines have been available for more than 80 years.

For 2022, the U.S. FDA has approved the FY-Vax yellow fever vaccine, a live, weakened form of the virus.

The YF-Vax vaccine is available at travel clinics and special pharmacies.

Furthermore, the CDC recommends other travel vaccinations when visiting Nigeria, such as polio, measles, and typhoid.

Note: This news post edited various content sources for clarity and was curated for mobile readers.