Liberia: Yellow Fever Suspected In Grand Kru County

Monrovia – The National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and partners is investigating a suspected case of yellow fever in Grand Kru County.

According to a release issued in Monrovia, the suspected case is a 2-year-old female from Farina Town, Barclayville Health District. There has been no death and new case reported. The suspected case has been managed and is in good health.

Blood specimen has been collected and sent to the National Public Health Reference Laboratory (NPHRL) for confirmation. According to the release, health authority in the county are conducting active case search, risk assessment, and planning for a possible reactive vaccination exercise, pending laboratory result.

Since January 2018, this is the second reported suspected case from Grand Kru County. The first was a 29-year old female from Dorbor District.

There has been no confirmed case of yellow fever in the country since the 2009 nationwide preventive vaccination campaign. The release also noted that a total of 94 suspected cases of yellow fever have been recorded across the country since the beginning of 2018.

Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes. The symptoms of yellow fever include fever, headache, jaundice, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting and fatigue. Communities have been advised to report unexplained deaths for safe and dignified burials as measures to prevent infection. Community engagement and response activities have been intensified in the area.

Meanwhile, the public is advised to take the following public health measures:

Keep your environment clean

Visit a health facility immediately when you feel the symptoms of yellow fever

Continue sleeping under treated bed nets

Yellow fever is not transmitted through body touch or body fluid