Democratic Republic of Congo declared a yellow fever epidemic in three provinces including the capital Kinshasa on Monday after confirming 67 cases of the disease, with another 1,000 suspected cases being monitored. The global stockpile of yellow fever vaccines has already been depleted twice this year to immunise people in Angola, Uganda and Congo. Yellow fever is transmitted by the same mosquitoes that spread the Zika and dengue viruses, although it is a much more serious disease. "I declare today a localised epidemic of yellow fever in the provinces of Kinshasa, Kongo Central and Kwango," Kabange told a news conference. The current method for making vaccines, using chicken eggs, takes a year.

Source: The Star June 20, 2016 12:33 UTC