Increase in yellow fever cases has Brazil on high alert
From cbc,ca
A small city in the state of Rio de Janeiro is on high alert after authorities confirmed the death of one man by yellow fever and said they were investigating several other possible cases.
Health authorities this week confirmed that 38-year-old Watila Santos, a Casimiro de Abreu, Brazil, resident, died from the illness on March 11.
A neighbour of Santos, Alessandro Valenca Couto, was infected and sent for treatment to a hospital in Rio de Janeiro, where he is recovering.
Authorities are investigating possible cases involving four relatives of Santos, including a 13-year-old and a nine-year-old.
In the city centre and rural areas of Casimiro de Abreu, about 150 kilometres from Rio de Janeiro, a large tent has been set up to vaccinate people. Authorities say around 30,000 of the city's 42,000 people have been vaccinated in recent days.
"I'm really scared," said Tais da Silva Almeida, a mother of two who arrived Friday to get vaccinated. "If adults can't deal with the illness, imagine the children."
Yellow fever is transmitted by mosquito and causes fever, body aches, vomiting and sometimes jaundice. Rio de Janeiro's state Health Department has announced plans to vaccinate its entire population as a preventative measure. It says it will need 12 million doses to reach a 90 per cent vaccination rate by year's end.
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