Investigation of a possible yellow fever epidemic and serosurvey for flavivirus infections in northern Cameroon, 1984.
A cluster of fatal hepatitis cases in northern Cameroon in 1984 stimulated a field investigation to rule out an epidemic of yellow fever. A serosurvey of villages in the extreme north of the country, in a Sudan savanna (SS) phytogeographical zone, disclosed no evidence of recent yellow fever infection. However, further south, in a Guinea savanna (GS) phytogeographical zone, serological evidence was found of endemic yellow fever virus transmission. The results indicate a potential for epidemic spread of yellow fever virus from the southern GS zone to the nothern SS zone of Cameroon, where immunity in the population was low.
D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002163:Cameroon; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops / Q000276:immunology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004901:Erythrocebus patas / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D015004:Yellow Fever / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission; D015005:Yellow fever virus / Q000276:immunology*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral