‘160 Million Nigerians At Risk Of Yellow Fever’

The World Health Organisation has said that 160 million Nigerians are at risk of yellow fever.

The WHO said with Nigeria’s population of about 200 million, the figure makes up around 25 percent of all the people at risk in Africa.

Yellow fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes.

The “yellow” in the name refers to the jaundice that affects some patients.

Symptoms of yellow fever include fever, headache, jaundice, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue.

The Medical Officer, WHO Nigeria, Dr. Anne Eudes Jean Baptiste, said, “Yellow fever is dangerous because a small percentage of patients will go through a more toxic phase of the disease. By then, they will experience fever, have system failure, mainly in the kidney and liver. They may experience bleeding coming from the mouth, nose and eyes and within 7 to 10 days, half of them will die.”

The WHO also said Nigeria is at risk of both urban and sylvatic (jungle) exposure to the disease.