EYE Strategy
March and April newsletter 

76th World Health Assembly

The 76th World Health Assembly is underway. This year’s theme is ‘WHO at 75: Saving lives, driving health for all’. 

The assembly will hear from the World Health Organization (WHO) on the Triple Billion targets, which it aims to achieve by the end of the year: 

• 1 billion more people benefitting from universal health coverage    
• 1 billion more people better protected from health emergencies    
• 1 billion more people enjoying better health and well-being 

The EYE Strategy also has a 1 billion target; aiming to protect almost 1 billion people by 2026, through the administration of a safe, single-dose vaccine that provides lifelong protection.  

Since the inception of EYE, we have protected around 226 million people in Africa against yellow fever, however, we face grave challenges in achieving our goals and keeping the global community safe. 

Outbreaks are occurring in areas with a history of preventive mass vaccination, and global health security is increasingly threatened by climate change, conflict and population mobility.  

Our greatest threat of outbreaks remains in urban centres, and we call on all our partners to engage with the EYE Strategy on preparedness and closing immunity gaps.  

Archive photo: Reactive yellow fever vaccination campaign at a secondary school in Koundara, Guinea, February 2021

Country updates

Reactive Vaccination Campaigns (RVCs)  

All RVCs are approved by the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision (ICG) and supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. 

Guinea  

The RVC, following confirmation of a case and regrettably, subsequent death in November 2022, has now begun in Guinea. The campaign will be implemented in Dabola health district. Surveillance has been strengthened in neighbouring districts. 

Monitoring of yellow fever (YF) vaccination cards was previously ramped up at Conakry airport. This response aims to protect over 200,000 people against YF.  

Niger 

Following one confirmed case in Gazaoua district in Maradi region on 15th November 2022, an RVC was confirmed to target ~222 000 people in Gazaoua district for protection against yellow fever (YF). It is expected to start in May 2023.  

Central African Republic (CAR) 

Following one confirmed case of a worker in a forest area, an RVC was confirmed to target ~ 233 400 people for protection against YF. The vaccination campaign will target the resident population and also seasonal workers conducting forest activities. 

Congo  

The RVC in Pointe Noire, following two confirmed cases of YF in February 2023, has now been concluded. This was conducted using a vaccine surplus from previous preventive mass vaccination campaigns (PMVCs).  Vaccination posts will be kept opened until June 2023 and the aim is to protect over 1 million people across all districts.  

Bolivia 

An RVC is ongoing in Beni, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and Cochabamba departments after three confirmed cases were reported earlier this year. Around 20,00 doses have been administered.  

Preventive mass vaccination campaigns (PMVCs)

Uganda 

In addition to the successful introduction of the YF vaccine into Uganda’s routine immunization (RI) programme, the country has planned a multi-year PMVC, which is now due to start in June 2023.   

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)  

A PMVC in Kasai Oriental was completed in March 2023. Campaigns in Lomami, Kasai and Central Kasai will be completed in May 2023. In total, 17 million people are anticipated to have been protected against YF in these districts. 

Further PMVCs in Kongo Central, Kwango, Kwilu, and Mai Ndombe are due to take place in October 2023.  

Nigeria 

All states with planned vaccination campaigns for 2022 have now been completed. Borno state, which was not fully covered by vaccination campaigns in previous years due to security concerns, now plans to vaccinate the unprotected parts of the state this year, as the situation has improved. More information will be provided in due course. 

Press releases

A mother and child after receiving their YF vaccination in Uganda, 2022. © WHO Nigeria

Uganda introduces life-saving yellow fever vaccine into routine immunization programme 

15 March 2023 

The Ministry of Health will vaccinate over 1.9 million children against yellow fever with support from UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Gavi. 

Kampala. In 2022, Uganda was one of 14 countries in Africa reporting confirmed cases of yellow fever. With the support of the Eliminate Yellow fever Epidemics (EYE) Strategy and its key partners, including the World Health Organization, UNICEF and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a multi-country outbreak response was organized in neighbouring countries that faced more serious yellow fever transmission. 

During the Integrated Child Health Days (ICHD) activities in October 2022, despite the ongoing Ebola Virus Disease outbreak having been declared the month before, Uganda maintained its plans to introduce the yellow fever vaccine into its routine immunization programme. 

It is being administered to children aged 9 months, as part of its commitment to the EYE Strategy, with a vaccine introduction grant (VIG) from Gavi. All children will be vaccinated with both yellow fever and measles-rubella vaccines. 

The EYE Strategy is a multi-stakeholder partnership that provides support to high-risk countries on how to minimize and eventually end the threat of yellow fever epidemics.  

“Uganda is committed to controlling yellow fever transmission,” said Dr Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero, Uganda's Minister of Health. “We want to ensure that our people are protected against this high-threat disease, and vaccines remain the main tool we have to efficiently prevent and contain yellow fever outbreaks.” 

To read the full article, click here.

Scaling up the One Health approach in Africa 

TDR, WHO’s Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases and the Climate, Health and Environment team at the WHO Regional Office for Africa, is pleased to announce the selection of four research proposals which will address One Health implementation research priorities for vector-borne diseases in the context of climate change in Africa. 

To read the full article, click here.   

Events

The RAFT (Resilience Against Future Threats through Vector Control) research consortium would like to invite you to their 2^nd webinar of the TechTalk series on arboviruses and arboviral vectors in Africa: “Capacity strengthening in Africa for arbovirus preparedness through regional networking”.

It is planned on June 14^th (Wednesday) 2023 at 10:00 AM UK time. To register, click here.  

Recruitment

Epidemiologist (yellow fever surveillance and response)

The EYE Strategy is recruiting an epidemiologist to work on yellow fever surveillance and response. The contract will last for one year. 

The role involves working with regions, countries and other important stakeholders on yellow fever outbreak detection, signal validation, response, and crisis management, as well as international yellow fever samples transportation.

For further information on the role and details on how to apply, click here. Deadline for applications is June 13th, 2023, 10:59:00 PM Central European Time. 

Web article

Four reasons disease-carrying mosquitoes could be spreading to a car tyre near you

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance 

By 2050 the yellow fever mosquito, which is responsible for the majority of dengue transmission, could reach as far north as Chicago and Shanghai. Another related species, the tiger mosquito, could live in large areas of France and Germany. 

So, what is driving this spread? To find out, read the full article. Click here.

Laboratory

Request for proposal

A request for proposal for technical support towards the performance of laboratory accreditations of yellow fever surveillance laboratories* has been issued. Please click here to read more and respond. The deadline for submission of proposals is 1st June 2023.

*Part of the Global Yellow Fever Laboratory Network (GYFLaN) supporting the EYE Strategy.

WHO public report for the kit performance evaluation of STANDARD™ Q Yellow fever IgM Test to detect IgM to Yellow fever virus in the context of surveillance 

The WHO Kit Performance Evaluation Programme outcomes generate information on product suitability for WHO’s laboratory networks undertaking the surveillance of vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) and are publicly reported. 

The current report outlines the outcome of a product evaluation programme undertaken for the STANDARD™ Q yellow fever Immunoglobulin M (IgM) Test (manufactured by SD Biosensor) to detect IgM to yellow fever virus in the context of surveillance. 

This is the first commercially available IgM serology lateral flow assay recommended by WHO for the detection of yellow fever in the context of surveillance. 

Read more about SD Biosensor’s STANDARD™ Q Yellow fever IgM Test kit performance in the attached public report here. 

WHO public report for the kit performance evaluation of YF MAC-HD 1.0 assay to detect IgM to yellow fever virus in the context of surveillance 

The current report outlines the outcome of an evaluation programme undertaken for the YF MAC-HD 1.0 assay (manufactured by ATCC) to detect IgM to yellow fever virus in the context of surveillance. 

This a the first commercially available IgM antibody capture enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (MAC-ELISA) serology assay recommended by WHO for the detection of yellow fever in the context of surveillance. 

Read more about ATCC’s YF MAC-HD 1.0 assay kit performance in the attached public report here.    

Launch of CDC Yellow Book 2024 – A trusted travel medicine resource

The US Centers for Disease Control (US CDC) is pleased to announce the launch of the CDC Yellow Book 2024. The CDC Yellow Book is a source of the US Government’s recommendations on travel medicine and has been a trusted resource among the travel medicine community for over 50 years. 

The CDC Yellow Book has been updated to include current recommendations and requirements on travel vaccines and medicines, as well as other health related items to consider while travelling. In addition, several new chapters were added to the 2024 edition, including:

• COVID-19 and Travel
• LGBTQ+ travellers
• Highly allergic travellers
• Substance dependent / addicted travelers
• Traveling with pets

Healthcare professionals can use the digital versions to find the most up-to-date travel medicine information to better serve their patients’ healthcare needs. Found here.

The CDC Yellow Book is also available in print through Oxford University Press.

Research publications 

Characterization and investigation of risk factors for late-relapsing hepatitis after yellow fever   

During the 2017-2018 YF outbreak in Brazil, a group of physicians from Eduardo de Menezes Hospital-Brazil and scientists from the Federal University of Minas Gerais-Brazil, Rene Rachou Institute/Fiocruz Foundation (Brazil) and Stanford University (USA) decided to create a Yellow Fever Collaborative Group to better understand the YF disease and virus in the light of epidemiology, virology, and immunology. 

During their studies, they described a new syndrome in YF patients. Late-relapsing hepatitis after YF is a clinical picture described around 60 days post-acute yellow fever phase, presenting with non-specific symptoms, such as fatigue and rebound in transaminases, alkaline phosphatase and total bilirubin values with a benign final outcome. 

The study was recently published in Clinical Infectious Diseases journal. Click here to view. 

This group has published other manuscripts related to YF and the 2017-2018 outbreak in Brazil, trying to better understand the virus and the disease. It can be found here. 

Immune response to co-administration of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), and yellow fever vaccines: a randomized non-inferiority trial among one-year-old children in Argentina

Background

In YF endemic areas, measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), and YF vaccines are often co-administered in childhood vaccination schedules. Because these are live vaccines, this research paper assessed potential immune interference that could result from co-administration. 

To read the full research paper, click here.