EID Updates:

Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases,
Region of the Americas

Vol. 5, No. 11 (31 March 2008)                             Main Updates index

Yellow Fever in Argentina

As of 26 March 2008, the Ministry of Health (Ministerio de Salud de la Nación / MSAL) of Argentina has confirmed 5 cases of jungle yellow fever (JYF) in the country, including 1 death. All cases are from Misiones Province (3 from department of Guaraní, 1 from San Pedro, and 1 from El Dorado).

Concerning immunization activities, 1,415,895 doses of yellow fever vaccine have already been distributed in the country—470,000 of them in the province of Misiones. This brings immunization coverage in the departments at highest risk of transmission close to 100%.

Active syndromic surveillance is ongoing for residents and other persons coming from risk transmission areas who present sudden fever with myalgia and headache or fever with jaundice.

Epizootic surveillance has been implemented in rural areas of departments with risk of transmission. National, provincial, and municipal vector control teams are taking adequate measures, especially against Aedes aegypti, the urban vector of the disease.

Source: Information received by PAHO-Argentina from the Ministry of Health (Ministerio de Salud de la Nación / MSAL) of Argentina.