A yellow fever outbreak in Angola has killed 51 people out of 241 suspected cases, in the first epidemic of the disease to hit the country in 30 years, official statistics showed today.
The centre of the outbreak is the capital Luanda's eastern suburb of Viana where 29 deaths and 92 cases have been reported over the last six weeks, national director of public health Adelaide de Carvalho said.
There is no specific treatment for the viral hemorrhagic disease which is transmitted by infected mosquitoes and found in tropical regions of Africa and Latin America's Amazon region.
Authorities have launched a mass vaccination drive targeting about 1.5 million people.
Angola lies in the yellow fever belt of Africa where vaccination against the disease is recommended.
