"UN Bungles Response To Yellow Fever Outbreak In Africa"

"KINSHASA, Congo — As a yellow fever outbreak in central Africa exploded, 1 million vaccines disappeared in Angola. Thousands more vaccinations were delayed when accompanying syringes got waylaid. Ice packs to keep the shots potent went missing. And while the epidemic of the hemorrhagic fever spilled across international borders, a senior outbreak expert at the World Health Organization acknowledged their response had "lagged" for months.

Much like its fumbled response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the U.N. agency's efforts to stop yellow fever have been undermined by chronic mismanagement, according to internal U.N. emails and documents obtained by The Associated Press.

Some health officials now estimate they will be short about 22 million vaccines amid the worst yellow fever outbreak in decades. From Angola, the virus has since spread to Congo, with a total of 5,000 suspect cases and more than 450 deaths. The potential for the outbreak to be exported elsewhere remains high, since the disease is spreading largely unchecked in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa, a city of more than 10 million with strong international links."

Maria Cheng and Krista Larson reports for the Associated Press August 4, 2016.

SEE ALSO:

"Yellow Fever: Preventing a Return of the Urban Epidemic" (Medium/The Vaccine Alliance)