Yellow fever kills 21 in DR Congo, WHO says

Yellow fever is a viral haemorrhagic disease which is transmitted by infected mosquitoes and found in tropical regions of Africa and Latin America's Amazon region. PHOTO | FILE 

By Reuters

Twenty-one people have died of yellow fever in Democratic Republic of Congo, some of them from infections contracted in neighbouring Angola, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday.

An outbreak has already killed 225 people and infected 1,600 in Angola. There was now a high risk of further spread in Congo, given the number of people who regularly travel between the two countries, the WHO said.

Yellow fever symptoms include severe headache, nausea, vomiting and fatigue, according to the WHO. The disease can enter a toxic phase in some people, leading to organ failure and death.

Poor sanitation is being blamed for stoking the outbreak, by providing fertile breeding grounds for the mosquitoes.

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

Additional information by The EastAfrican