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Yellow fever outbreak, southern Sudan, 2003
Clayton O Onyango1, Antoinette A Grobbelaar, Georgina V F Gibson
1World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus and Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Reference and Research at Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.
Emerging Infectious Diseases
|October 23, 2004
Summary
A 2003 yellow fever virus outbreak in Sudan was caused by the East African genotype. This finding suggests yellow fever is endemic in East Africa and can lead to significant human epidemics.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Yellow fever is a severe hemorrhagic fever transmitted by mosquitoes.
- Outbreaks of yellow fever pose a significant public health threat, particularly in endemic regions.
- Understanding the genetic diversity of yellow fever virus is crucial for outbreak response.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the genetic characteristics of the yellow fever virus responsible for the 2003 outbreak in southern Sudan.
- To determine the phylogenetic origin of the outbreak strain.
- To assess the implications of the findings for yellow fever endemicity and epidemic potential in East Africa.
Main Methods:
- Phylogenetic analysis of the yellow fever virus isolated during the 2003 outbreak.
- Comparison of viral genetic sequences with known yellow fever virus genotypes.
Main Results:
- The yellow fever virus from the 2003 Sudan outbreak belonged to the East African genotype.
- This genotype has been associated with previous large-scale epidemics.
Conclusions:
- The 2003 outbreak in Sudan was caused by an endemic East African strain of yellow fever virus.
- Yellow fever is established in East Africa and has the potential to cause widespread human outbreaks.
- Continued surveillance and control measures are essential in the region.