November 08, 2019
Bulletin interne de l'Institut Pasteur
Emergence of yellow fever virus in Latin America: results of a major study among the general population
In light of the emerging threat of yellow fever in Latin America, scientists from the Institut Pasteur de la Guyane have carried out a large-scale epidemiological study, published in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, to estimate the vaccine coverage of the population and identify factors associated with vaccination. A total of 1,415 households and 2,697 people from the 22 communes in French Guiana were included in the study.
Although yellow fever vaccine coverage was estimated to be 95.0% over the entire country, some western areas in French Guiana, connected by inland waterways to countries where vaccination is not compulsory, have low levels of vaccine coverage, especially in children under 16 not attending school, adults who have recently immigrated to the country or disadvantaged populations with low socio-economic status.