Fever pitch: Yellow Fever in Brazil
I must have been asleep (or afflicted by a fever) for the past few weeks as I’d been blissfully unaware about the Yellow Fever outbreaks spreading across Brazil . Back in November I read about a monkey found dead from YF in a park in the north of São Paulo city , prompting authorities to offer vaccinations to residents living nearby. Understandably peple were worried as this was an area not considered at risk for YF. Fortunately, we didn’t live close to the park, so I thought no more about it. Three months later, the country is gripped by panic. Fifty three people have confirmed to have died from YF between 1 July 2017 and 23 January 2018, with the health ministry registering 130 cases in the country . Although there were more confirmed cases (381) and deaths (127) in the same period in the previous year, the recent cases cover a larger area. Plus they include big cities with a denser population and places not previously considered at risk, notably the states (and city) of S ão Pa...