EYE Strategy January newsletter 

7th EYE Strategy Annual Partners' Meeting

A video message from the Acting WHO Representative for Ethiopia, Dr Nonhlanhla Dlamini, welcoming this year's participants to the meeting and encouraging more to join us online from Addis Ababa. 

In order to join the meeting online, you must register via this link: click here. If you have any problems with registration, please contact Ilhem Abassi Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser.

EYE Strategy Annual Highlights 2023   

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.  

Central African Republic (CAR)  

The RVC is now planned to begin in March 2024 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   

After 13 confirmed cases, an RVC has planned for seven districts in Cameroon: Djohong, Meiganga, Tignere, Gashiga, Ngong, Djoum, and Garoua 1. The total target population is over 1.1 million people. 

South Sudan

© WHO South Sudan

Press release 

Yambio, 13 February 2024 – In response to the confirmed outbreak of yellow fever on 24th December 2023, with two laboratory-confirmed cases identified in Western Equatoria State, the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and other partners, has initiated a reactive yellow fever vaccination campaign as part of the preventive response intervention. 

As of 3rd February 2024, 48 suspected and two confirmed yellow fever cases were reported from Yambio, Nzara, Tambura, Ibba, Ezo, and Maridi Counties of Western Equatoria State. 

"To address the outbreak, a multidisciplinary team of epidemiologists, public health officers, entomologists, laboratory specialists, and risk communication experts conducted an extensive epidemiological investigation to characterize the extent of the outbreak, identify risk and exposure factors and implement control and prevention measures," stated the Honourable Yolanda Awel Deng, Minister of Health. 

Dr Humphrey Karamagi, WHO Representative for South Sudan, emphasized, "The yellow fever vaccination campaign aligns with the Global Strategy to Eliminate Yellow Fever Epidemics (EYE) by 2026. This reactive measure aims to protect populations at high risk and act as a bridge towards integrating the yellow fever vaccine into routine immunization systems." 

Targeting approximately 610 000 individuals aged nine months to 65 years in Yambio, Tambura Ezo, Ibba, and Maridi, the vaccination campaign utilizes doses secured from the global emergency yellow fever vaccine stockpile of the International Coordination Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision, supported by funding from Gavi. 

To read the full press release, click here.  

Preventive mass vaccination campaigns (PMVCs) 

Chad    

Chad is currently implementing the first phase of its yellow fever PMVC, which was launched on the 12th February 2024. In total, the campaign will cover 151 health districts in 23 provinces, which will target around 17 million people for protection. The second phase will be implemented in May 2024.  

The current phase of the campaign is being implemented in the following provinces and is integrated with measles vaccinations: Barh El Gazal, Ennedi Est, Logone Oriental, Hadjer Lamis, Kanem, Lac, Tibesti, Sila, Wadi Fira, Ouadai and N'djamena. 

In May, the following provinces will be targeted with yellow fever vaccine only: Moyen Chari, Tandjile, Batha, Borkou, Mayo Kebbi East, Guera de l'Ennedi Ouest, Mayo Kebbi Ouest, Logone Occidental, Salamat and Chari Baguirmi. 

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 are planned for February 2024. In total, these campaigns seek to target almost 12 million people for protection 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. Yellow fever 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. 

Laboratory 

There are two new publications from the Laboratory Technical Working Group. 

Laboratory manual for yellow fever 

An updated WHO yellow fever laboratory manual has been published. This provides up-to-date methods and procedures for the laboratory identification of yellow fever virus infection in humans. It provides guidance on the establishment and maintenance of an effective laboratory providing routine surveillance testing for yellow fever, which operates within the WHO-coordinated Global Yellow Fever Laboratory Network (GYFLaN) capable of confirming yellow fever infection reliably and in a timely way. This second edition supersedes the first edition of the 2004 WHO manual. Versions in other languages to follow. Please click here to download.  

Operational guidance on the use of yellow fever assays in the context of surveillance 

This publication aims to provide updated guidance on the specific use of yellow fever laboratory assays in the context of surveillance, to be used across the GYFLaN for disease surveillance. Please click here to download.

Events 

19th to 21st March 2024
7th EYE Strategy Annual Partners’ Meeting. To register as an online participant, please click here. 

8th to 12th April 2024
Regional EYE.ops workshop, Centre Pasteur Cameroon, Yaoundé (English-speaking)  

17th to 21st June 2024
Regional EYE.ops workshop, Congo, Brazzaville (French-speaking)  

Podcast

 What will it take to end yellow fever epidemics?

The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women (HERO)