Yellow fever outbreak leaves more than 50 dead in Angola

A yellow fever outbreak in Angola has killed more than 50 people, in the first epidemic of the disease to hit the country in 30 years, official statistics showed on Monday.

The centre of the outbreak is the capital Luanda’s eastern suburb of Viana where 29 deaths and 92 cases have been reported over the last six weeks, national director of public health Adelaide de Carvalho said.

Authorities have launched a mass vaccination drive targeting about 1.5 million people.

There is no specific treatment for the viral haemorrhagic disease which is transmitted by infected mosquitoes and is found in tropical regions of Africa and Latin America’s Amazon region.

Yellow fever symptoms include severe headache, nausea, vomiting and fatigue, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

Angola lies in the yellow fever belt of Africa where vaccination against the disease is recommended.

Health officials have also warned that there has also been an increase in malaria, cholera and chronic diarrhea in the country.