Current Trends of Yellow Fever in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects

Yellow fever is a viral infection caused by yellow fever virus and is spread by the bite of an infected female mosquito (Aedes and Haemogogus species). The evolutionary origin of yellow fever lies in Africa, with transmission of the disease from nonhuman primates to humans. Yellow fever remains a disease of significant public health importance. The earliest outbreak of yellow fever in Nigeria was reported in Lagos in 1864, with subsequent regular outbreaks reported until 1996, following which Nigeria has been responding to successive outbreaks. Since 15th September 2017, when the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) officially notified a confirmed case of yellow fever in Kwara State to WHO as per the International Health Regulations (2005), the country has been responding to successive yellow fever outbreaks over a wide geographic area. As such, a four-year (2018–2021) national yellow fever Preventive Mass Vaccination Campaign (PMVC) plan, supported by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) and partners, is currently being implemented to cover all states in the country. By 2025, it is anticipated that all states in Nigeria will have conducted PMVC activities to protect at-risk populations against yellow fever.