BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC) — Health officials in St Kitts are monitoring reports of an outbreak of yellow fever in Brazil to ensure that the endemic does not spread to the Federation.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Hazel Laws says Ministry of Health is monitoring the outbreak of yellow fever in Brazil days after a traveller from the Netherlands went to Brazil and picked up the disease.

She said the ministry will be increasing at the port of entries to safeguard from passengers coming from affected countries and added that plans are in place to tighten surveillance at ports of entry.

“We had a meeting this week at the ministry making plans to tighten the surveillance at our ports in terms of scheduling public health nurses around the clock at the airport and at the sea port, whereby we will be looking at travellers who will be coming from countries where yellow fever is endemic and such travellers should be able to produce their yellow fever vaccination certificate,” she said.

Laws noted that the additional screening will be done to all countries that have a yellow fever endemic. 

“We will be looking at travellers coming from all the countries where yellow fever is endemic, not just South America,” she declared.

A World Health Organization (WHO) release last week indicated that as of April 3, yellow fever virus transmission continues to expand towards the Atlantic coast of Brazil in areas not deemed to be at risk for yellow fever transmission prior to the revised risk assessment, supported by the scientific and technical advisory group on geographical yellow fever risk mapping.

The release further identified several areas in the States of Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo that should also be considered at risk for yellow fever transmission

“Consequently, vaccination against yellow fever is recommended for international travellers visiting those areas in the States of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The typology of activities that international travellers anticipate to undertake while visiting areas determined to be at risk for yellow fever transmission should be weighted in the risk-benefit analysis informing the individual decision to be immunized against yellow fever,” the release stated.

Yellow fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes. The “yellow” in the name refers to the jaundice that affects some patients.