CDC: Beware Brazil yellow fever outbreak

March 16, 2018|Infectious Disease Practitioner

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that travelers who haven’t been vaccinated against yellow fever should avoid travel to Brazil, according to a media teleconference by CDC officials.

“The most important new recommendation ... is that travelers should not go to these yellow fever hot spots in Brazil, unless they are vaccinated,” stated Martin Cetron, MD, director of the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine at the CDC. “Health officials in Brazil recently confirmed more than 920 cases of yellow fever, including more than 300 deaths, during this outbreak” he added.

Yellow fever is a fairly common infection in locations such as South America, and is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito, according to Dr. Cetron. He pointed out that Brazil’s yellow fever outbreak has been spreading into areas popular with tourists, including urban centers such as Rio De Janeiro.

Since the beginning of 2018, 10 travel-related cases of yellow fever have been reported among international travelers returning from Brazil. Four of these travelers died. All 10 travelers had not received the yellow fever vaccine. Of these 10 travelers, 8 acquired the disease on Ilha Grande, an island off the coast of Rio De Janeiro that is popular among tourists.