Addis Ababa, 2024: Ethiopia has approved the inclusion of yellow fever vaccine into the country’s routine immunization schedule after a meeting of the Immunization Interagency Coordinating Committee (ICC) of Ethiopia on 19 January 2024. A single dose of yellow fever vaccine provides life-long protection. The Ethiopian population is among the 440 million people at risk located in the ‘yellow fever belt’ that lies at the Equator and spans 34 African countries. WHO estimates that 2.2 million cases and 30,000 deaths from yellow fever occur annually and 90% of these are reported in Africa. Routine immunization is considered the sustainable long-term approach to maintaining high levels of population immunity.

Source: Ethiopian News March 15, 2024 11:18 UTC