EU deploys medical experts to Angola amid outbreak of yellow fever

The European Union (EU) deployed a team of medical experts to the Republic of Angola amid the ongoing outbreak of yellow fever there, said the European Commission on Thursday.

Experts from EU member states, the European Commission and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), would travel to the African country, which would also be the first deployment of a public health team under the European Medical Corps launched in February this year.

The mission, led by the ECDC, would last about two weeks and be implemented in close coordination with both the Angola Government and the World Health Organization (WHO), said the Commission.

These medical experts would develop a better understanding of the epidemiological characteristics of the outbreak, assess the risks for regional and international spread, implications for Europe and for Europeans travelling in the region, and examine ways to provide further expertise to the country in its mitigation efforts, said the press release.

The yellow fever outbreak started in Angola's capital Luanda in December 2015, but has quickly spread to other municipalities and provinces.

Imported cases of yellow fever have been reported from China, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mauritania, according to a Commission statement.