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160 Million Nigerians At Risk Of Contacting Yellow Fever – WHO
160 million Nigerians, according to the World Health Organization, are at risk of contacting yellow fever.
According to the WHO, with a population of around 200 million, Nigeria accounts for about 25% of all Africans at risk.
Dr Anne Eudes Jean Baptiste, the Medical Officer of WHO Nigeria, stated, “Yellow fever is dangerous because a small percentage of patients will go through a more toxic phase of the disease. By then, they will experience fever, have system failure, mainly in the kidney and liver. They may experience bleeding coming from the mouth, nose and eyes and within 7 to 10 days, half of them will die.”
Yellow fever is spread by sylvatic exposure through mosquitoes that have bitten non-human primates and animals.
Nigeria, according to the WHO, is in danger of contacting the disease in both urban areas and sylvan (jungle) areas.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria resulted in the vaccination of nearly 45 million individuals against yellow fever, according to the global health organization, with mining and agricultural workers being particularly susceptible to the transmission.
Infected mosquitoes are responsible for spreading the acute viral hemorrhagic illness known as yellow fever.
No fewer than 1,005 suspected yellow fever cases have been reported in Nigeria so far in 2022.
In 390 Local Government Areas throughout 36 states, including the FCT, several incidents have been reported.
The disease is under closer supervision, according to Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, Director General of the Nigeria Center for Disease Control.
He said, “We have reference laboratories in the country that have been strengthened, and are being supported and assessed to make sure they are meeting all the performance parameters in terms of sample collection and referral to our reference labs in Abuja.”
