Arab League pledges to provide yellow fever vaccines

The Arab League announced allocation of 250 thousand US dollars for providing yellow fever vaccines to the five states of Darfur. Samir Hosni, director of the African section and Arab cooperation at the Arab League, called on member states in a press statement issued on Wednesday, 12 December, to support and address the humanitarian situation in Darfur.He announced that the Arab League is committed to urgently provide vaccines from France and other European countries to vaccinate people in Darfur against yellow fever.Two new cases of yellow fever in C DarfurIssa Mohamed Moussa Yousef, Minister of Health in Central Darfur, announced the emergence of two new cases of yellow fever in the localities of Zalingei and Umm Dukhun. The new cases bring the total incidence to 413 and the death toll to 81 in Central Darfur, according to the latest statistics issued on Wednesday. The minister explained to Radio Dabanga that, overall, the incidence of yellow fever in the locality comes from the gold mining area of Jebel ‘Amer in North Darfur. He pointed out that no new cases emerged in Central Darfur and asserted that the situation has stabilized. In response to a question about other diseases spreading in the state, he said that malaria is spreading rapidly in Central Dafur. About the upcoming vaccination campaign in the localities of Mukjar and Bendessey the minister stressed that the vaccines against yellow fever arrived in Khartoum but have not yet arrived in the state.He added that the state has completed all preparatory arrangements for the campaign in both localities and is waiting for the arrival of the drugs. Radio Dabanga file photoSee also: Darfur yellow fever epidemic: ‘Africa’s worst in decades’, WHO (7 December 2012)