TOGO: Togolese health officials are trying to contain a yellow fever outbreak.

Record ID: 455621

  • Title: TOGO: Togolese health officials are trying to contain a yellow fever outbreak.
  • Date: 27th February 2007
  • Summary: (AD1) AGOTO, TOGO (FEBRUARY 24, 2007) (REUTERS) (GOOD SCENES) CHILD BEING VACCINATED AGAINST YELLOW FEVER AND CRYING NURSE TAKING VACCINES OUT OF A BOX VACCINES IN ICEBOX NURSE PUTTING VACCINES IN ICEBOX MAN SITTING DOWN AND BEING VACCINATED CHILD BEING VACCINATED (SOUNDBITE) (French) KADRI TANKARI, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) REPRESENTATIVE, SAYING: "We just see the outbreak of yellow fever in the country, we had three cases in December." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE LINING UP, WAITING TO BE VACCINATED MAN BEING VACCINATED CHARLES KONDI AGBA, MINISTER OF HEALTH, TALKING TO CROWD ABOUT VACCINATIONS VARIOUS OF CROWD LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Mina) CHARLES KONDI AGBA, MINISTER OF HEALTH, TOGO, SAYING: "The yellow fever is dangerous." PEOPLE LISTENING VARIOUS OF CROWD APPLAUDING (SOUNDBITE) (French) CHARLES KONDI AGBA, MINISTER OF HEALTH, SAYING: "This disease is really frightening because there is no treatment so the medical community is mobilizing itself." VARIOUS OF TRADITIONAL LEADERS SEATED VARIOUS OF AGBA AND TANKARI TALKING TOGETHER VARIOUS OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN LINING UP TO BE VACCINATED VARIOUS OF HEALTH WORKERS WITH VACCINES IN ICEBOX (SOUNDBITE) (French) KOSSI SEGNON, AGOTO RESIDENT, SAYING: "Everybody has got the chance to be able to go to towns to get vaccinated, so this method will help to vaccinate all the population." NURSE VACCINATING MAN, KOFFI DOSSOU (SOUNDBITE) (Mina) KOFFI DOSSOU, AGOTO RESIDENT, SAYING: "It's a good initiative which will help to avoid the yellow fever for the next 10 years." VARIOUS OF CHILDREN LINING UP TO BE VACCINATED VARIOUS OF DOCTOR PREPARING VACCINATION/ PUTTING SYRINGE INTO PHIAL TO GET VACCINE/ BOX CONTAINING VACCINE VARIOUS OF PEOPLE/ CHILDREN BEING VACCINATED
  • Embargoed: 14th March 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Togo
  • Country: Togo
  • Reuters ID: LVAC654GEEFFG3P2Z73GOQ6F9FE0
  • Story Text: The Togolose are trying to protect themselves against the deadly yellow fever and a massive campaign in the northern part of the country has re-begun, with some 1.5 million people vaccinated so far. The people of Togo are trying to protect themselves against a deadly disease. Yellow fever is a viral disease transmitted to human beings by mosquitoes that are infected by the Amaril virus. Vaccination is the only way to protect people against the disease.
    A massive vaccination campaign against Yellow Fever has begun in the northern region of the country after the disease resurfaced for the first time in 20 years. More than 1.5 million people have been vaccinated so far.
    The vaccinations are a government initiative supported by various international partners and local NGO's.
    "We've observed that there is a yellow fever outbreak in the country, we had three cases in December and last month in January we had another one," said Kadri Tankari, the representative of World Health Organization (WHO) in Togo.
    According to the WHO, 200,000 cases of Yellow Fever were registered around the world in 2006. More than 30,000 Africans died from the illness in the same year.
    "Everybody has got the chance to be able to go to towns to get vaccinated, so this method will help to vaccinate all the population," said Kossi Ségnon, a resident of Agoto.
    The last vaccination campaign of this scale was in 1987.
    "It's a good initiative which will help to avoid the yellow fever for the next 10 years," said Koffi Dossou a resident of Agoto.
    The Yellow Fever vaccine remains effective for only a decade.
    "This disease is really frightening because there is no treatment so the medical community is mobilizing itself," added Charles Kondi Agba, the Togolese Minister of Health.
    Vaccination centres have been crowded since the campaign began at different centres like hospitals, schools and markets.
    "I had to come and make sure that I get vaccinated," said an unidentified woman at one of the vaccination centres.
    According to specialists, Yellow fever kills 50 percent of those who get infected.
    The symptoms include high fever, jaundice, headaches, flu, internal bleeding and vomiting.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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