UNICEF supplies two million yellow fever vaccinations for Paraguay

UNICEF supplied two million anti-yellow fever vaccinations in response to an emergency declared by the Government of Paraguay following an outbreak of yellow fever cases. Approximately 750,000 people have been immunized so far.

Additionally, 1000 special thermoses have been donated by UNICEF for the conservation and transportation of these vaccines.

To date 66 suspected cases of yellow fever have been registered of which 15 cases were confirmed and seven people have died, including a 17-year-old. Of the suspected cases, 26 were located in urban centers close to Asunción, and seven cases of yellow fever were confirmed in the rural area around San Pedro.

The vaccine doses arrived in the country on a charter flight logistically managed by the UNICEF Supply Division in Copenhagen. This purchase made by the Paraguayan State for two million doses were released from the ICG’s global emergency stockpile which is funded by GAVI, through efforts supported by the World Health Organization (WHO-PAHO) and UNICEF.

To contain the spread of yellow fever cases preventative measures must be taken quickly, particularly in densely populated zones.

The government’s prevention strategy, supported by UNICEF, involves a multi-pronged approach that includes vaccinating municipalities with registered cases of yellow fever, along with neighbouring municipalities, as well as eliminating the mosquito transmitter (Aedes Aegypti) and its larvae’s creators..