Angola: WHO convenes emergency meeting on yellow fever

(AGI) - Luanda, Aug 24 - The World Health Organization (WHO) has scheduled for next Wednesday an emergency meeting at his headquarters to discuss measures to combat yellow fever outbreak affecting Angola and DR Congo. According to Al-Jazeera TV, citing the organization's spokesman Tarik Jarasevic, the meeting was requested by the Director-General of WHO, Margaret Chan, who will meet with a committee of independent experts. The meeting should go out an analysis of the current outbreak situation and a corresponding response plan to the stage of epidemic. The main concern of the WHO is not Angola, where more than 13 million people were vaccinated, but the DR Congo where 14 million people are immunized. The disease emerged last December in Angola and until 5 last August were reported 3,867 suspected cases. Of these cases, 369 people suspected deaths being caused by yellow fever, but only 119 were confirmed in the laboratory. The disease has spread to the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country with which Angola shares a long land and maritime border of 2,511 km. By 27 July the neighboring country had registered 2,051 suspected cases and 95 deaths. WHO has faced lack of vaccines to meet this need, and diluted doses are being distributed among the population of DR Congo. (AGI) .