On 5 October 2006, the Ministry of Health reported 2 cases of yellow fever in the towns of Korhogo and Ouaragahio in Côte d’Ivoire. The cases, a 30-year-old man in Korhogo and a 16 year-old girl in Ouaragahio, are laboratory confirmed (IgM Elisa assay) by the Institut Pasteur, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire and by the regional reference laboratory, Institut Pasteur, Dakar, Senegal. To date, no fatalities have been reported.
The Ministry of Health, supported by WHO has sent a multidisciplinary team including a virologist, an epidemiologist and an entomologist to investigate both outbreaks. As a result, surveillance activities have been intensified and a vaccination campaign is planned for the affected areas. The Ministry of Health has asked the international community for funds to launch this campaign and has also requested vaccines from the International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision for Yellow Fever.
Yellow fever in Côte d’Ivoire
