37 die of yellow fever outbreak in Angola

A yellow fever outbreak in Angola has killed 37 people since December 2015, with eight new cases reported in the last 24 hours.

The country’s National Director of Health, Mr Adelaide de Carvalho, stated this late Wednesday as the news caused panic across the nation.

The outbreak of yellow fever, which is transmitted by mosquito bites, began in the Luanda suburb of Viana but has spread to other areas of the southern African country with 191 people infected so far.

De Carvalho said health officials were monitoring suburbs around the capital of Luanda where infections have been worsened by unsanitary conditions caused by a garbage collection backlog.

“Actions should be developed for the improvement of public sanitary and garbage collection,” de Carvalho said.

Symptoms of yellow fever include sudden fever, severe headache, nausea, vomiting and fatigue, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.