Weekly epidemiological record

ABSTRACT

Yellow fever transmission in Africa included outbreaks and cases in countries with a history of YF mass vaccination campaigns (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Ghana), escalating the concern raised by the re-emergence of outbreaks in West Africa in 2020. In 2021, those outbreaks affected populations that had not been reached by immunization services, including people living in areas with compromised security and people missed in large-scale campaigns. The resurgence of intense viral transmission highlights the importance of achieving and maintaining equitable, high vaccination coverage of all at-risk populations. COVID-19 continued to impact YF control in 2021. The type of effect changed as countries prioritized vaccination against COVID-19, which led to postponement or de-prioritization of YF vaccination in some countries and affected vaccine acceptance. Despite the challenges, priority countries made good progress in implementing the Eliminate Yellow fever Epidemics (EYE) strategy in 2021, with >48 million people reached through reactive, catch-up and preventive YF vaccination campaigns in Africa.