Month: January 2023

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NFL Player Damar Hamlin Showing ‘Remarkable Improvement’

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has shown what physicians treating him are calling “remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours,” the team announced Thursday, three days after the player went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the field.

“While still critically ill, he has demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact,” the Bills said in a statement. “His lungs continue to heal and he is making steady progress.”

Bills rookie cornerback Kaiir Elam also posted a message on his Twitter account that said Hamlin “is doing better, awake and showing signs of improvement.”

The developments came as the Bills were scheduled to return to practice on Thursday for the first time since Hamlin collapsed after his heart stopped after making a tackle and was rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center during the first quarter of Buffalo’s game against the Bengals on Monday night.

The second-year player has spent the past two days sedated and listed in critical condition.

The Bills’ announcement comes as they prepare to play a home game against the New England Patriots on Sunday, and with the team still dealing with the shock of seeing their teammate collapse on the field, his heart not beating.

After returning home early Tuesday once the game was suspended, the Bills held meetings and a walkthrough practice without any media availability on Wednesday. On Thursday, players were spotted arriving at the facility, though the team has not yet released a practice schedule.

The chilling sight of Hamlin collapsing, which was broadcast to a North American TV audience on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” has led to an outpouring of support from fans and players from across the league.

Numerous players — former teammates and those who didn’t know Hamlin until Monday — voiced their support, while saying they were shaken by what happened.

Colts safety Rodney Thomas made the two-hour drive from Indianapolis to Cincinnati on Tuesday just to be by the side of his former high school teammate.

“He’s a fighter. I know he’s a fighter and there’s no other thought in my mind other than him walking out under his own power,” Thomas said Wednesday.

Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, who spent the previous four seasons playing for Buffalo, had dinner delivered to the hospital for Hamlin’s family and medical staff.

Hamlin’s marketing representative Jordon Rooney said Wednesday that the player’s family was buoyed by the words and acts of kindness.

“They are elated right now,” Rooney said. “Damar is still their first concern. But for them, they always look at how they can turn a somewhat troubling situation into a good one. The bounce back from this, for him and his family, is going to be incredible.”

What remains unclear is whether the NFL will reschedule the Bills’ game against the Bengals, which has major implications in determining the top spot in the AFC. The playoffs are set to open on January 14.

The Chiefs (13-3) have a half-game lead over Buffalo (12-3), with the Bills owning the tiebreaker after beating Kansas City this season. The Bengals (11-4) are currently the third seed and have also defeated the Chiefs.

Hamlin was hurt in the first quarter when he was struck squarely in the chest while making what appeared to be routine tackle of Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. Hamlin briefly got up and adjusted his facemask before collapsing backward.

Hamlin was selected by Buffalo in the sixth round of the 2021 draft out of Pitt. He spent his rookie season limited to special teams roles, and took over the starting safety job in Week 3 in place of veteran Micah Hyde, who remains sidelined by a neck injury.

Fans, team owners and players — including Tom Brady and Russell Wilson — have made donations to Hamlin’s Chasing M’s Foundation, which had raised more than $7 million by Thursday morning.

Source: Voice of America

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Study: Two-thirds of Glaciers on Track to Disappear by 2100 The world’s glaciers are shrinking and disappearing faster than scientists thought, with two-thirds of them projected to melt out of existence by the end of the century at current climate change trends, according to a new study. But if the world can limit future warming to just a few more tenths of a degree and fulfill international goals – technically possible but unlikely according to many scientists – then slightly less than half the globe’s glaciers will disappear, said the same study. Mostly small but well-known glaciers are marching to extinction, study authors said. In an also unlikely worst-case scenario of several degrees of warming, 83% of the world’s glaciers would likely disappear by the year 2100, study authors said. Thursday’s study in the journal Science examined all of the globe’s 215,000 land-based glaciers – not counting those on ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica – in a more comprehensive way than past studies. Scientists then used computer simulations to calculate, using different levels of warming, how many glaciers would disappear, how many trillions of tons of ice would melt, and how much it would contribute to sea level rise. The world is now on track for a 2.7-degree Celsius (4.9 degrees Fahrenheit) temperature rise since pre-industrial times, which by the year 2100 means losing 32% of the world’s glacier mass, or 48.5 trillion metric tons of ice as well as 68% of the glaciers disappearing. That would increase sea level rise by 115 millimeters (4.5 inches) in addition to seas already getting larger from melting ice sheets and warmer water, said study lead author David Rounce. “No matter what, we’re going to lose a lot of the glaciers,” Rounce, a glaciologist and engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University, said. “But we have the ability to make a difference by limiting how many glaciers we lose.” “For many small glaciers it is too late,” said study co-author Regine Hock, a glaciologist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the University of Oslo in Norway. “However, globally our results clearly show that every degree of global temperature matters to keep as much ice as possible locked up in the glaciers.” Projected ice loss by 2100 ranges from 38.7 trillion metric tons to 64.4 trillion tons, depending on how much the globe warms and how much coal, oil and gas is burned, according to the study. The study calculates that all that melting ice will add anywhere from 90 millimeters (3.5 inches) in the best case to 166 millimeters (6.5 inches) in the worst case to the world’s sea level, 4% to 14% more than previous projections. That average sea level rise from glaciers would mean more than 10 million people around the world – and more than 100,000 people in the United States – would be living below the high tide line, who otherwise would be above it, said sea level rise researcher Ben Strauss, CEO of Climate Central. Twentieth-century sea level rise from climate change added about 100 millimeters to the surge from 2012 Superstorm Sandy, costing about $8 billion in damage just in itself, he said. Scientists say future sea level rise will be driven more by melting ice sheets than glaciers. But the loss of glaciers is about more than rising seas. It means shrinking water supplies for a big chunk of the world’s population, more risk from flood events from melting glaciers and losing historic ice-covered spots from Alaska to the Alps to even near Mount Everest’s base camp, several scientists told The Associated Press. “For places like the Alps or Iceland … glaciers are part of what makes these landscapes so special,” said National Snow and Ice Data Center Director Mark Serreze, who wasn’t part of the study but praised it. “As they lose their ice in a sense they also lose their soul.” Hock pointed to Vernagtferner glacier in the Austrian Alps, which is one of the best-studied glaciers in the world, and said “the glacier will be gone.” The Columbia Glacier in Alaska had 216 billion tons of ice in 2015, but with just a few more tenths of a degree of warming, Rounce calculated it will be half that size. If there’s 4 degrees Celsius (7.2 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming since pre-industrial times, an unlikely worst-case scenario, it will lose two-thirds of its mass, he said. “It’s definitely a hard one to look at and not drop your jaw at,” Rounce said. Glaciers are crucial to people’s lives in much of the world, said National Snow and Ice Center Deputy Lead Scientist Twila Moon, who wasn’t part of the study. “Glaciers provide drinking water, agricultural water, hydropower, and other services that support billions (yes, billions!) of people,” Moon said in an email. Moon said the study “represents significant advances in projecting how the world’s glaciers may change over the next 80 years due to human-created climate change.” That’s because the study includes factors in glacier changes that previous studies didn’t and is more detailed, said Ruth Mottram and Martin Stendel, climate scientists at the Danish Meteorological Institute who weren’t part of the research. This new study better factors in how the glaciers’ ice melts not just from warmer air, but also from water both below and at the edges of glaciers and how debris can slow melt, Stendel and Mottram said. Previous studies concentrated on large glaciers and made regional estimates instead of calculations for each individual glacier. In most cases, the estimated loss figures Rounce’s team came up with are slightly more dire than earlier estimates. If the world can somehow limit warming to the global goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming since pre-industrial times – the world is already at 1.1 degrees (2 degrees Fahrenheit) – Earth will likely lose 26% of total glacial mass by the end of the century, which is 38.7 trillion metric tons of ice melting. Previous best estimates had that level of warming melting translating to only 18% of total mass loss. “I have worked on glaciers in the Alps and Norway which are really rapidly disappearing,” Mottram said in an email. “It’s kind of devastating to see.” Source: Voice of America

The world’s glaciers are shrinking and disappearing faster than scientists thought, with two-thirds of them projected to melt out of existence by the end of the century at current climate change trends, according to a new study.

But if the world can limit future warming to just a few more tenths of a degree and fulfill international goals — technically possible but unlikely according to many scientists — then slightly less than half the globe’s glaciers will disappear, said the same study. Mostly small but well-known glaciers are marching to extinction, study authors said.

In an also unlikely worst-case scenario of several degrees of warming, 83% of the world’s glaciers would likely disappear by the year 2100, study authors said.

Thursday’s study in the journal Science examined all of the globe’s 215,000 land-based glaciers — not counting those on ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica — in a more comprehensive way than past studies. Scientists then used computer simulations to calculate, using different levels of warming, how many glaciers would disappear, how many trillions of tons of ice would melt, and how much it would contribute to sea level rise.

The world is now on track for a 2.7-degree Celsius (4.9 degrees Fahrenheit) temperature rise since pre-industrial times, which by the year 2100 means losing 32% of the world’s glacier mass, or 48.5 trillion metric tons of ice as well as 68% of the glaciers disappearing. That would increase sea level rise by 115 millimeters (4.5 inches) in addition to seas already getting larger from melting ice sheets and warmer water, said study lead author David Rounce.

“No matter what, we’re going to lose a lot of the glaciers,” Rounce, a glaciologist and engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University, said. “But we have the ability to make a difference by limiting how many glaciers we lose.”

“For many small glaciers it is too late,” said study co-author Regine Hock, a glaciologist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the University of Oslo in Norway. “However, globally our results clearly show that every degree of global temperature matters to keep as much ice as possible locked up in the glaciers.”

Projected ice loss by 2100 ranges from 38.7 trillion metric tons to 64.4 trillion tons, depending on how much the globe warms and how much coal, oil and gas is burned, according to the study.

The study calculates that all that melting ice will add anywhere from 90 millimeters (3.5 inches) in the best case to 166 millimeters (6.5 inches) in the worst case to the world’s sea level, 4% to 14% more than previous projections.

That average sea level rise from glaciers would mean more than 10 million people around the world — and more than 100,000 people in the United States — would be living below the high tide line, who otherwise would be above it, said sea level rise researcher Ben Strauss, CEO of Climate Central. Twentieth-century sea level rise from climate change added about 100 millimeters to the surge from 2012 Superstorm Sandy, costing about $8 billion in damage just in itself, he said.

Scientists say future sea level rise will be driven more by melting ice sheets than glaciers.

But the loss of glaciers is about more than rising seas. It means shrinking water supplies for a big chunk of the world’s population, more risk from flood events from melting glaciers and losing historic ice-covered spots from Alaska to the Alps to even near Mount Everest’s base camp, several scientists told The Associated Press.

“For places like the Alps or Iceland … glaciers are part of what makes these landscapes so special,” said National Snow and Ice Data Center Director Mark Serreze, who wasn’t part of the study but praised it. “As they lose their ice in a sense they also lose their soul.”

Hock pointed to Vernagtferner glacier in the Austrian Alps, which is one of the best-studied glaciers in the world, and said “the glacier will be gone.”

The Columbia Glacier in Alaska had 216 billion tons of ice in 2015, but with just a few more tenths of a degree of warming, Rounce calculated it will be half that size. If there’s 4 degrees Celsius (7.2 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming since pre-industrial times, an unlikely worst-case scenario, it will lose two-thirds of its mass, he said.

“It’s definitely a hard one to look at and not drop your jaw at,” Rounce said.

Glaciers are crucial to people’s lives in much of the world, said National Snow and Ice Center Deputy Lead Scientist Twila Moon, who wasn’t part of the study.

“Glaciers provide drinking water, agricultural water, hydropower, and other services that support billions (yes, billions!) of people,” Moon said in an email.

Moon said the study “represents significant advances in projecting how the world’s glaciers may change over the next 80 years due to human-created climate change.”

That’s because the study includes factors in glacier changes that previous studies didn’t and is more detailed, said Ruth Mottram and Martin Stendel, climate scientists at the Danish Meteorological Institute who weren’t part of the research.

This new study better factors in how the glaciers’ ice melts not just from warmer air, but also from water both below and at the edges of glaciers and how debris can slow melt, Stendel and Mottram said. Previous studies concentrated on large glaciers and made regional estimates instead of calculations for each individual glacier.

In most cases, the estimated loss figures Rounce’s team came up with are slightly more dire than earlier estimates.

If the world can somehow limit warming to the global goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming since pre-industrial times — the world is already at 1.1 degrees (2 degrees Fahrenheit) — Earth will likely lose 26% of total glacial mass by the end of the century, which is 38.7 trillion metric tons of ice melting. Previous best estimates had that level of warming melting translating to only 18% of total mass loss.

“I have worked on glaciers in the Alps and Norway which are really rapidly disappearing,” Mottram said in an email. “It’s kind of devastating to see.”

Source: Voice of America

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Leading Asia Pacific Carrier Leverages Synchronoss Email Suite to Support Significant Growth to Over 50 Million Users

Company Expands Existing On-Premise Deployment of Mx9 Messaging Platform, Offering an Array of New Features to Ensure Security, Data Privacy, and an Improved User Experience

BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Jan. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Synchronoss Technologies, Inc. (“Synchronoss” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: SNCR), a global leader and innovator in cloud, messaging and digital products and platforms, today announced a $3.6 million contract to support significant growth in the messaging subscriber base with one of the largest mobile and telecom operators in the Asia Pacific region. Building on a long-standing relationship spanning over 20 years, the Synchronoss Email Suite will now support over 50 million users.

The Synchronoss Email Suite includes the Mx9 core messaging platform that is highly scalable with a stateless architecture, designed to be fault tolerant. It integrates encryption to ensure the utmost in security and data privacy.

Mx9 offers an intuitive web user interface (UI) for email, contacts, and calendar. Through the Huge Mail feature, Mx9 supports large file exchanges, and integrates Razorgate, an unparalleled message filtering capability designed to remove spam and mitigate the threat of phishing and viruses.

“Supporting on-premise and cloud deployments, our Synchronoss Email Suite provides the capability to deliver a powerful and easy-to-use communications suite that is scalable and capable of supporting millions of users,” said Jeff Miller, President and CEO of Synchronoss. “The growth and expansion of our partnership with this leading Asia Pacific carrier underscores the commitment of our team to continuously innovate and deliver highly scalable solutions that meet the needs of today’s leading communications service providers worldwide.”

Today Synchronoss Email Suite supports 20 major email deployments through service providers in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, and hosts more than 180 million mailboxes. To find out more about the platform and other messaging solutions, visit https://synchronoss.com/products/engagex/email-suite.

About Synchronoss
Synchronoss Technologies (Nasdaq: SNCR) builds software that empowers companies around the world to connect with their subscribers in trusted and meaningful ways. The company’s collection of products helps streamline networks, simplify onboarding, and engage subscribers to unleash new revenue streams, reduce costs and increase speed to market. Hundreds of millions of subscribers trust Synchronoss products to stay in sync with the people, services, and content they love. Learn more at www.synchronoss.com.

Media Relations Contact:
Domenick Cilea
Springboard
dcilea@springboardpr.com

Investor Relations Contact:
Matt Glover / Tom Colton
Gateway Group, Inc.
SNCR@gatewayir.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8723275

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UN Security Council Welcomes New Members; 2 are First-Timers

Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland got a formal welcome into the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday, taking the two-year seats they won unopposed in June.

In a tradition that Kazakhstan started in 2018, the five countries’ ambassadors installed their national flags Tuesday alongside those of other members outside the council chambers.

Mozambican Ambassador Pedro Comissário Afonso of Mozambique called it “a historic date” and Swiss Ambassador Pascale Baeriswyl said she felt “a deep sense of humility and responsibility” as their countries marked their first-ever terms on U.N.’s most powerful body. Malta joined for a second time, Ecuador a fourth and Japan a record 12th.

China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States are permanent, veto-wielding members of the group. Its 10 other members are elected by the 193-nation General Assembly for staggered, two-year terms. They’re allocated by global regions.

To many countries, winning a council seat is considered a signature diplomatic accomplishment that can raise a nation’s global profile and afford small countries a bigger voice than they might otherwise have in the major international peace and security issues of the day.

The council deploys peacekeeping missions, can approve sanctions and speaks out — sometimes — on conflicts and flashpoints, while also surveying such thematic issues as terrorism and arms control. While many matters are perennials on the agenda, council members also can use the platform to spotlight emerging concerns or topics of particular interest to them.

Countries often campaign for the council for years. Some 60 nations have never had a seat since the group’s formation in 1946.

The five latest members are replacing India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and Norway. Their terms ended December 31.

The other current two-year members are Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and United Arab Emirates.

Source: Voice of America

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5 countries start responsibilities as newly elected members of UN Security Council

UNITED NATIONS— Five countries — Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland — on Tuesday began to assume responsibilities as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

Their two-year term officially started on Jan 1, but the first business day of the Security Council for 2023 after the New Year holiday break is Tuesday, Jan 3.

A flag installation ceremony was held to mark the start of their responsibilities. The ceremony was initiated by Kazakhstan in 2018.

Kazakhstan’s permanent representative Akan Rakhmetullin, who presided over the ceremony, voiced confidence that the five new council members will bring much depth and focus to the pressing issues of global peace and security.

“As we begin a new year, it is clear that the global situation continues to be marked by numerous challenges and crisis, from ongoing conflicts and humanitarian calamities to the negative impacts of climate change and the pandemic,” Rakhmetullin said.

Addressing these acute issues requires cooperation and solidarity as well as the commitment of all UN member states, he said.

The permanent representatives of the five new council members made short speeches before they installed their respective national flags outside the Security Council Chamber.

The five countries replaced India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and Norway.

The 15-member Security Council has five permanent members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the UN General Assembly. Five non-permanent members are replaced every year.

Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates are in the middle of their two-year term as non-permanent members.

Source: Nam news Network

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Disease Outbreak News: Yellow fever – African Region (AFRO) (3 January 2023)

Outbreak at a glance

This is an update on the yellow fever situation in the WHO African Region since the last disease outbreak news was published on 2 September 2022.

From 1 January 2021 to 7 December 2022, a total of 203 confirmed and 252 probable cases with 40 deaths (Case Fatality Ratio 9%) were reported to WHO from 13 countries in the WHO African Region.

Risk factors for further yellow fever spread and amplification include low population immunity, population movements, viral transmission dynamics, and climate and environmental factors that have contributed to the spread of Aedes mosquitoes. Recent Reactive Vaccination Campaigns increase population immunity and may have contributed to reducing the risk of yellow fever spread in targeted countries, resulting in a gradual downward trend in reported confirmed cases in 2022. However, the countries remain at high risk.

Description of the outbreak

In 2022, 12 countries in the WHO African Region have reported confirmed cases of yellow fever (Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone and Uganda). Eight of these countries are experiencing a continuation of transmission from 2021 (Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Nigeria, and the Republic of the Congo) and four countries are newly reporting confirmed cases (Kenya, Niger, Sierra Leone and Uganda). One country, Gabon, reported an isolated confirmed case in 2021, but no further cases were registered in 2022.

Since 2021, a total of 203 confirmed and 252 probable cases with 40 deaths and a CFR of 9% have been reported. Of these, 23 deaths have been reported among confirmed cases (CFR among confirmed cases 11%) (Table 1). The high overall CFR among confirmed cases in 2021 (17 deaths, 11%) continued in 2022 (six deaths, 12%).

The male-to-female ratio among confirmed cases is not significantly different in 2021 and 2022 (1.3 and 1.6 respectively). The most affected age group amongst confirmed cases in 2021 was 10 years and below; meanwhile, the most affected group in 2022 is 20 to 30 years old. Overall, about 71% of confirmed cases are aged 30 years and below, and children aged 10 years and below are disproportionately affected.

According to the WHO/UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage (WUENIC), in 2021 routine immunization coverage against yellow fever in the African Region for childhood vaccinations was 48%, much lower than the 80% threshold required to confer population immunity against yellow fever, indicating the presence of an underlying susceptible population at risk of yellow fever and the risk of continued transmission. Country-specific estimates of vaccination coverage for 2021 are 54% in Cameroon, 41% in the Central African Republic, 45% in Chad, 67% in the Republic of the Congo, 65% in Côte d’Ivoire, 56% in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 64% in Gabon, 94% in Ghana, 7% in Kenya, 80% in Niger (subnational introduction limited to four counties in 2021), 63% in Nigeria and 85% in Sierra Leone. Uganda has recently rolled-out yellow fever into the Routine Immunization programme.

Increasing population immunity through past and ongoing Preventive Mass Vaccination Campaigns (PMVC) supported through the EYE Strategy, and Reactive Vaccination Campaigns (RVC) have increased population immunity rapidly in implementing countries which has contributed to reducing the risk of spread of yellow fever in targeted countries. This may contribute to the gradual downward trend in reported confirmed cases in 2022, but should be noted that there is also variation in virus transmission dynamics that are difficult to predict.

Epidemiology of Yellow fever

Yellow fever is an epidemic-prone, vaccine-preventable disease caused by an arbovirus transmitted to humans by the bites of infected Aedes and Haemagogus mosquitoes. The incubation period ranges from 3 to 6 days. Many people do not experience symptoms, but when they occur, the most common are fever, muscle pain with prominent back pain, headache, loss of appetite, and nausea or vomiting. In most cases, symptoms disappear after 3 to 4 days. A small percentage of cases progress to a toxic phase with systemic infection affecting the liver and kidneys. These individuals can have more severe symptoms of high-grade fever, abdominal pain with vomiting, jaundice and dark urine caused by acute liver and kidney failure. Bleeding can occur from the mouth, nose, eyes, or stomach. Death can occur within 7 – 10 days in about half of cases with severe symptoms.

Yellow fever is prevented by an effective vaccine, which is safe and affordable. A single dose of yellow fever vaccine is sufficient to grant sustained immunity and life-long protection against yellow fever disease. A booster dose of the vaccine is not needed. The vaccine provides effective immunity within 10 days for 80-100% of people vaccinated, and within 30 days for more than 99% of people vaccinated.

Public health response

Surveillance and Laboratory.

WHO provides support to national health authorities in conducting field investigations and determining the epidemiological classification of yellow fever cases. A total of 51 personnel from at least 10 countries have been trained to investigate confirmed or probable cases of yellow fever. Furthermore, case investigation reports were reviewed, and feedback was provided to field teams to assess disease exposure and risk of disease spread.

An innovative programme to facilitate the international shipment of yellow fever samples to regional reference laboratories, as well as laboratory testing and capacity building, has been initiated with support from the EYE Strategy. WHO is engaged in ongoing activities to support countries in the laboratory diagnosis of yellow fever, including periodic accreditation visits and capacity development.

Reactive vaccination

Since the beginning of the current outbreak (2021 to 7 December 2022), a total of 4 385 320 persons have been vaccinated in five countries: Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Ghana and Kenya, as part of the ICG-supported response. Nine ICG requests for vaccination campaigns were approved for Cameroon (one request), the Central African Republic (two requests), Chad (two requests), Ghana (two requests), Kenya (one request), and Niger (one request).

Reactive campaign conducted in Kembe Satema in the Central African Republic from 2 to 19 November 2022 had 101.7% coverage. Based on preliminary results, the campaign in Bambari, the Central African Republic, which ended on 23 November 2022, had 87.7% coverage.

Final results are pending from an ICG-supported RVC in Niger, which is anticipated to protect approximately 1.1 million people.

Preventive mass campaign vaccination

Most priority countries have conducted a PMVC against yellow fever or are in process. Gabon, Kenya, and Niger have not planned PMVCs, however, they are included in the EYE Strategy as priority countries. Approximately 50 million people are expected to be protected by PMVCs conducted in 2022.

Chad: The country has prepared an application for a PMVC to be submited in January 2023. Weekly risk analysis sessions supported by the EYE Strategy have been conducted since 18 October 2022 to inform the planning of priority areas for the PMVC.

The Republic of the Congo: PMVC for yellow fever and measles integrated vaccination was organized from 5 to 14 August 2022 in 11 out of 12 departments with a coverage of 93% for yellow fever (preliminary report). The final report of the campaign and the mandatory Post Campaign Coverage Survey (PCCS) are pending.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo: Eight provinces have organized preventive campaigns in 2021 including Bas-Uele, Equateur, Haut-Uele, Mongala, Nord-Ubangi, Sud-Ubangi, Tshopo and Tshuapa. Three provinces have been scheduled to conduct preventive campaigns from the end of November 2022 through January 2023, and include Maniema, Sankuru and Sud Kivu.

Nigeria: The country has entered its final phases of PMVCs. In 2022 alone, campaigns have been conducted in Adamawa, Borno (special approach), Enugu, Gombe, Kano and Ogun States. Bayelsa State is planned for early 2023. The country is anticipated to complete nation-wide PMVCs by 2024.

Uganda: The country introduced yellow fever vaccination into routine immunization in late October 2022. In addition, 10 of 13 million vaccine doses have been received for PMVC, the rest were expected at the end of November 2022 but have not yet been received. PMVC has been planned for late January 2023.

Prevention of International Spread and Points of Entry (PoE)

All 13 countries that reported confirmed cases have implemented requirements for proof of vaccination against yellow fever as a condition for entry. Ten countries require proof of vaccination against yellow fever for any traveller, regardless of the origin of their voyage; whereas three countries (Chad, Kenya, and Nigeria) require proof of vaccination against yellow fever for travellers arriving from countries with areas at risk for yellow fever transmission as determined by the WHO Secretariat.

WHO risk assessment

Between 26 August 2022 and 29 November 2022, there have been 22 additional confirmed cases of yellow fever reported from ten countries. However, based on retrospective classification of the cases, there were only seven new confirmed cases and one death. Countries including Burkina Faso, Senegal and Togo have reported probable cases that were subsequently discarded, indicating that there is enhanced surveillance put in place. However, there is still persistent yellow fever virus circulation, as several of the recent confirmations have been from locations with little or no underlying immunity (e.g., near urban areas in Cameroon and Uganda; areas with no history of yellow fever vaccination such as Isiolo county, Kenya) hard-to-reach and under-served populations, including children that have been disproportionately impacted.

Based on the current situation of yellow fever in the WHO African region, the risk at the regional level was re-assessed as moderate on 12 December 2022 (high in November 2021 and June 2022) due to:

1. The decrease in the number of reported cases and the increasing population immunity, since there are ongoing and recent preventive vaccination campaigns, as well as reactive campaigns that have been organized in the affected countries, with more than four million people vaccinated in five countries (Ghana, Cameroon, Chad, the Central African Republic and Kenya), and an estimated 50 million people immunized during the PMVCs in 2021-2022 (Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo) supported by the EYE Strategy.

2. There is ongoing yellow fever virus circulation in some high-risk areas, the most recent cases, and outbreaks are reported in areas impacted by underlying risk factors, including gaps in routine immunization, missed special populations (e.g., nomadic or pastoralists and other mobile populations), security and access challenges.

3. Most confirmed cases were reported in the last quarter of 2021, however several of the recent confirmations have been from urban areas and/or locations with little or no underlying immunity (e.g., near urban areas in Cameroon and Uganda; areas with no history of yellow fever vaccination);

4. Case classifications, and response operations remain a challenge;

5. Delays in detection and investigation; delays in the implementation of previously planned PMVC, competing outbreaks and pandemics of COVID-19 and Mpox that are attracting more attention in yellow fever-affected countries, and security constraints in affected areas (the Central African Republic, far North of Cameroon, Eastern – the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Northern Nigeria), population movement, all present risks that could lead to new yellow fever transmission.

The overall global risk remains low, as no cases related to this current outbreak have been reported at this stage outside of the African region. However, there are favorable ecosystems for yellow fever outside the African region, especially in the neigbouring countries in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. There might be challenges in surveillance and immunization capacities due to the potential onward transmission through viremic travellers and due to the presence of the competent vector, if not detected in a timely way.

The impact on public health will persist until the ongoing outbreaks are controlled, vaccination coverage is high and immunity gaps in the population are closed. The importation of cases to countries with suboptimal coverage and persisting population immunity gaps poses a high risk and may jeopardize the tremendous efforts invested to achieve elimination.

WHO advice

Transmission can be amplified in circumstances where the Aedes mosquitos (day feeder) are present in urban settings and densely populated areas causing rapid spread of the disease.

Surveillance: WHO recommends close monitoring of the situation with active cross-border coordination and information sharing, due to the possibility of cases in neighboring countries. Enhanced surveillance with investigation and laboratory testing of suspect cases is recommended.

Vaccination: Vaccination is the primary means for the prevention and control of yellow fever. Yellow fever vaccines approved by WHO are safe, highly effective, and provide life-long protection against infection.

The countries reporting yellow fever cases and outbreaks are all high-priority countries for the EYE Strategy. The EYE Strategy recommends that all high-risk countries introduce yellow fever vaccination into their routine immunization (RI) schedule for those aged 9 months (Ethiopia, South Sudan have yet to introduce it into RI). Review of the risk analysis and scope of immunization activities to protect the population could help avert the risk of future outbreaks (e.g. Kenya).

To protect populations in high-risk areas in the longer term, it is important to continue the roll-out of Preventive Mass Vaccination Campaigns (PMVCs) and bolster Routine Immunization (RI), as well as take steps to strengthen the application of International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) and bolster surveillance for rapid detection aligned to EYE objectives.

WHO recommends vaccination for all international travellers, aged 9 months and older, going to areas determined by the WHO Secretariat as at risk for yellow fever transmission and for additional areas the recommendation for vaccination of international travellers is subject to the assessment of the likelihood of exposure of each individual traveller.

Yellow fever vaccination is safe, highly effective and a single dose provides life-long protection. Yellow fever vaccination is not recommended for infants younger than 9 months, except during epidemics when the risk of yellow fever virus transmission may be very high. The risks and benefits of vaccination in this age group should be carefully considered before vaccination. The vaccine should be used with caution during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, pregnant or breastfeeding women may be vaccinated during epidemics or if travel to a country or area with a risk of transmission is unavoidable.

According to the provisions of the International Health Regulations (IHR), any country may decide to implement the requirement for proof of vaccination against yellow fever for arriving travellers. For international travel purposes, the proof of vaccination against yellow fever is only valid if recorded in the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis. The International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis becomes valid 10 days after vaccination against yellow fever and extends for the life of the person vaccinated with a WHO-approved vaccine. A booster dose of the yellow fever vaccine cannot be required of international travellers as a condition of entry.

Vector control: In urban centres, targeted vector control measures are also helpful to interrupt transmission. As a general precaution, WHO recommends avoidance of mosquito bites, including the use of repellents and insecticide-treated mosquito nets. The highest risk for transmission of yellow fever virus is during the day and early evening.

Risk communication: WHO encourages its Member States to take all actions necessary to keep travellers well informed of risks and preventive measures including vaccination. Travellers should be made aware of yellow fever symptoms and signs and instructed to rapidly seek medical advice if presenting signs and symptoms suggestive of yellow fever infection. Infected returning travellers may pose a risk for the establishment of local cycles of yellow fever transmission in areas where a competent vector is present.

International travel and trade: WHO advises against the application of any travel or trade restrictions to the Region.

The updated areas at-risk for yellow fever transmission and the related recommendations for vaccination of international travellers were updated by WHO on 1 July 2020; the map of revised areas at risk and yellow fever vaccination recommendations is available on the WHO International Travel and Health website.

Source: World Health Organization

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