The government has begun mass immunisation against yellow fever in roughly eleven counties following the deaths of three persons in Isiolo County.
In a letter, acting Director General of Health Patrick Amoth highlighted in the previous month, three persons have died in Imerti and Garbatulla sub-counties, and more than 20 people have contracted the Yellow Fever virus.
“Out of the six samples analysed at KEMRI, 3 turned positive through serology (immunoglobulin M) and PCR.
This is, therefore, to raise the alert in 47 counties, more so the high-risk counties of Isiolo, Wajir, Garissa, Marsabit, Meru, Samburu, Tana River, Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, West Pokot and Turkana,” said Amoth.
He stated that the first case was detected on January 12 and since then, 15 suspected cases have been identified presenting with symptoms including headache, fever, jaundice, muscles and joint pains.
Among the patients, the youngest is an 11-year-old while the oldest is 65. Young male adults make up the majority of those infected.
Yellow fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes of the Aedes species.
Once contracted, the yellow fever virus incubates in the body for 3 to 6 days.
Many people do not experience symptoms, but when these do occur, the most common are fever, muscle pain with prominent backache, headache, loss of appetite, and nausea or vomiting. In most cases, symptoms disappear after 3 to 4 days.
A small percentage of patients, however, enter a second, more toxic phase within 24 hours of recovering from initial symptoms.
High fever returns and several body systems are affected, usually the liver and the kidneys.
In this phase people are likely to develop jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes, hence the name ‘yellow fever’), dark urine and abdominal pain with vomiting.
Bleeding can occur from the mouth, nose, eyes or stomach. Half of the patients who enter the toxic phase die within 7-10 days.
