| Training for community trainers in Aedes vector control measures and interventions, Cameroon EYE Strategy February and
March Newsletter 7th EYE Strategy Annual Partners’ Meeting, United Nations Conference Centre, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – 19th to 21st March 2024 Annual Partners’ Meeting Following our last communication on the Annual Partners’ Meeting, please find below a reminder of the useful links for those of you that couldn’t attend the meeting or if you need a refresher of the meeting content. You can find a full summary of the meeting, by clicking here. The meeting materials, including speaker presentations and videos, and a list of participants can be accessed by clicking here. Recordings are available for days one and two only currently. Reactive Vaccination Campaigns (RVCs) All RVCs are approved by the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision (ICG) and supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Central African Republic (CAR) The RVC will be implemented in April in the following districts: Bossembélé, Berbérati, Boda, Carnot, Gamboula, Sangha-Mbaere, as well as in Internal Displaced Person (IDP) camps in Bambari district. This campaign aims to protect over 1.1 million people against yellow fever. This is likely to include vulnerable populations in hard-to-reach places, such as internally displaced populations and high-risk workers in forests. Cameroon Reactive vaccination campaign, April 2024, Cameroon © WHO Cameroon After 13 confirmed cases in 2023, an RVC has been planned for seven health districts in Cameroon starting April 2024: Djohong, Djoum, Meiganga, Garoua 1, Gashiga, Ngong, and Tignere located in Adamawa, North and South regions. The total target population is over 1.1 million people. In March 2024, WHO provided entomological investigation support to Cameroon as part of the response to confirmed yellow fever cases in urban Douala. A situation analysis on past entomological investigations and vector control activities was conducted and included a mapping of the stakeholders involved. Training for community trainers in Aedes vector control measures and interventions, Cameroon © WHO Cameroon In early April, health authorities, with support from WHO, organized training for community trainers in Aedes vector control measures and interventions, which are key components in limiting the transmission and spread of the yellow fever virus. This was part of a response package following the diagnosis of yellow fever cases in Douala. Participants, who are future trainers, are communication focal points and heads of health areas in nine health districts in Douala. South Sudan Following three confirmed cases of yellow fever in the Western Equatoria region in December 2023, an RVC was implemented in March 2024 to protect over 200,000 people. Historic vaccination campaign, Ethiopia. © WHO Ethiopia 15 March 2024 Addis Ababa, 2024: Ethiopia has approved the inclusion of yellow fever vaccine into the country’s routine immunization schedule after a meeting of the Immunization Interagency Coordinating Committee (ICC) of Ethiopia on 19 January 2024. This landmark decision is a major part of Ethiopia’s efforts to implement the Eliminate Yellow fever Epidemics (EYE) Strategy that aims to protect almost 1 billion people against this deadly disease and eliminate its epidemics by the end of 2026. Dr Nonhlanhla Dlamini, Acting WHO representative for Ethiopia said, “The approval to introduce yellow fever vaccine in Ethiopia is a significant breakthrough to ensure availability of vaccines for the people of the country and protect populations at risk, as Ethiopia is among the 27 countries identified from Africa as high risk for yellow fever transmission”. Dr Dlamini added, “WHO is coordinating the effort and supporting the government by engaging multidisciplinary partners to extend their support with the resource required for smooth integration of yellow fever vaccine into their routine immunization schedule.” To read the full press release, click here. Preventive mass vaccination campaigns (PMVCs) Chad Chad completed the implementation of the first phase of its yellow fever PMVC in February 2024. This phase of the campaign was implemented in the following provinces and was integrated with measles vaccine: Barh El Gazal, Ennedi Est, Hadjer Lamis, Kanem, Lac, Logone Oriental, N'djamena, Ouadai, Sila, Tibesti, and Wadi Fira. In May 2024, the second phase will be implemented in the following provinces will be targeted with yellow fever vaccine only: Batha, Borkou, Chari Baguirmi, Guera de l'Ennedi Ouest, Logone Occidental, Mayo Kebbi East, Mayo Kebbi Ouest, Moyen Chari, Salamat, and Tandjile. In total, the entire PMVC campaign will cover 151 health districts in 11 provinces, and protect around 9.7 million people against yellow fever. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Yellow fever PMVCs in Kwilu and Mai Ndombe were completed in December 2023, and were integrated with measles round 1. Vaccination campaigns in Kongo Central and Kwango were also completed in February 2024. In total, these campaigns protected almost 12 million people against yellow fever. Some districts in Kongo Central, Kwango, and Lualaba completed an RVC during the Angola outbreak in 2016. Immunization gaps in these provinces are still being investigated. Vaccination campaigns in the two provinces of Ituri and Nord Kivu are planned for 2024. Nigeria PMVCs in Jigawa and Kaduna have now been completed, with further preventative activities scheduled to take place in April 2024. Uganda A PMVC was completed in early April 2024. It is part of a multi-year campaign in Uganda following the introduction of yellow fever vaccine into its routine immunization programme. The campaign targeted 14.4 million people from 53 districts, including children and adults up to 60 years old. EYE on Yellow Fever podcast We have translated three previous episodes of the podcast into French. They are still available in English by clicking on our website or via your preferred podcast app. La santé publique en période de crise climatique À bien des égards, le réchauffement de notre planète est aujourd’hui le principal enjeu de notre époque. Or, nous ne considérons sans doute pas suffisamment le changement climatique en tant que menace pour la santé publique. Par exemple, que se passera-t-il lorsque de nouvelles régions du monde seront suffisamment chaudes et humides pour accueillir des moustiques vecteurs de pathogènes? Cet épisode entend le professeur Rachel Lowe de la London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, le professeur Jonathan Patz, directeur du Global Health Institute de l’Université Madison du Wisconsin, et le Dr Florence Fouque, spécialiste de la lutte anti-vectorielle à l’OMS. Click here to listen. Épidémies urbaines: un risque mondial De quelle manière les pays à risque se préparent-ils à réagir rapidement en cas d’épidémie de fièvre jaune en milieu urbain ? La Dre Linda Esso, haute fonctionnaire de la santé publique au Cameroun, évoque les défis auxquels son pays est confronté pour gérer de manière proactive la menace que représente la fièvre jaune. Nous allons également recueillir le témoignage du Dr Peter Mbondji, qui a élaboré des directives afin d’aider les pays à se préparer et à intervenir en cas d’épidémie en milieu urbain. Click here to listen. Le Ghana: Recit d’une victoire contre la fiévre jaune En Afrique, le Ghana fait figure de modèle de réussite en matière de lutte contre la fièvre jaune. Dans cet épisode bonus, nous allons nous entretenir avec deux scientifiques à la tête du programme de vaccination du pays. Le Dr Kwame Amponsa-Achiano, du service de santé du Ghana, et le Dr Fred Osei Sarpong, de l’OMS, nous font part de leur expérience et de leur point de vue quant à la manière dont l’implication des communautés, même les plus inaccessibles, s’est avérée déterminante pour enrayer et endiguer les épidémies de cette maladie mortelle qui sévit dans le pays. Click here to listen. A regional yellow fever laboratory workshop for English-speaking countries took place between 8th to 12th April 2024 in Yaounde, Cameroon. A further regional workshop for French-speaking countries on 17th to 21st June 2024 in the Republic of the Congo. Risk communication and community engagement readiness and response toolkit yellow fever This toolkit is a comprehensive set of practical tools and resources designed to support country-level risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) practitioners, decision-makers, and partners to plan and implement readiness and response activities for yellow fever outbreaks. To download a copy, click here. Epidemiological Update Yellow fever in the Region of the Americas - 21 March 2024 In the Region of the Americas, the risk of yellow fever outbreaks occurring is high. While immunization is one of the most successful public health interventions to prevent this disease, the COVID-19 pandemic, among other factors, has led to vaccination activities being affected, impacting vaccination coverage against yellow fever. To read the full epidemiological update for this region, click here. EYE Communication Strategy and Brand Book The communication strategy has been updated for 2024 outlining how we intend to communicate about the EYE Strategy and providing some key messaging for the remainder of the Strategy. New brand guidelines have also been developed to guide you on proper use of logo and visual design when communicating about EYE. Click here to download. For more information, contact us on mailto:EYE.Strategy@who.int Tell us your news!We would love to showcase the work you are doing on protecting people from yellow fever. To submit your news, stories, photos and videos, please email EYE.strategy@who.int. To subscribe to this newsletter, click here
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