{"id":223533,"date":"2016-06-19T06:00:43","date_gmt":"2016-06-19T06:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=223533"},"modified":"2016-06-19T06:00:43","modified_gmt":"2016-06-19T06:00:43","slug":"yellow-fever-vaccine-dose-could-be-cut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/06\/yellow-fever-vaccine-dose-could-be-cut\/","title":{"rendered":"Yellow fever vaccine dose ‘could be cut’"},"content":{"rendered":"
UN health experts have recommended cutting the standard dose of yellow fever vaccine by 80% in emergencies, amid a global vaccine shortage.<\/p>\n
A smaller dose would provide immunity for at least 12 months, they said.<\/p>\n
Emergency stocks have been depleted by a mass immunisation programme in Angola, where the disease has killed more than 300 people since December.<\/p>\n
A surge of cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has raised fears of a crisis situation.<\/p>\n
The current outbreak of the disease has seen 18 million vaccine doses distributed in Angola, DR Congo and Uganda.<\/p>\n
The global stockpile of the vaccine has already been depleted twice since February.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the World Health Organization (WHO) cautioned that so-called “fractional dosing” would only be used as a short-term measure in emergency situations where a shortage exists.<\/p>\n