Weeks after an outbreak of Yellow fever was confirmed in Bauchi, other confirmed infections linked to Bauchi have been spotted in neighbouring states.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said it found an “epidemiological link” between cases seen in Katsina, Kano, Gombe and Borno to the outbreak in Bauchi.
The first case was reported on August 29 in a Kano resident who had visited Bauchi’s Yankara Game Reserve in Alkaleri council area.
The dates of visit being considered in the latest response to the outbreak go back as far as 1 August
Among the new cases in the four other states with “epidemiological link” to the outbreak in Bauchi, 169 are still suspected, 10 are presumed positive for Yellow fever.
Only 15 have been confirmed using a “reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction”, a test which identifies biological agents through the RNA.
A total 23 people have been killed across the five states affected so far.
The incident management system to respond to the outbreak is now focusing on people who are resident in Alkaleri or have visited the area since the start of August.
In the meantime, a preventive mass vaccination is expected in the last quarter of the year in Katsina, Ekiti, Borno, Rivers and Anambra.
Three new laboratories are expected to become operational, adding to the Yellow fever laboratory network.
