By Karen Graham | From Digital Journal

The yellow fever outbreak that started in December 2015 has killed hundreds of people in Angola. The often fatal mosquito-borne disease has now spread to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where it has already killed 21 people.

As was reported in Digital Journal on March 24, the present outbreak is the worst in Angola in over 30 years and the disease has since spread to 16 or the country’s 18 provinces.

This week, the DRC is reporting that 21 people have died from yellow fever, many of the deaths being people who had contracted the disease in Angola. ABC.net.au is reporting the World Health Organization (WHO) is saying there is a great risk of the disease spreading further in the DRC because of the amount of travel between the two countries.

Other countries with yellow fever

Ugandan health officials are also reporting yellow fever victims in Masaka, where at least 10 people have died. WHO says it is not clear if the cases in Uganda are related to the Angola outbreak because of the distance between the two countries.

Additional cases that are related to the yellow fever outbreak in Angola include nine cases in China, two in Kenya and several more cases in Mauritania and Morocco. The WHO is reporting the cases “were imported” from Angola. “The report of yellow fever infection in travelers returning from Angola … highlights the risk of international spread,” the WHO statement said, reports CNN News.

Read more at Digital Journal