Yellow Fever Kills 18 Across Nine African Nations

GENEVA, Switzerland — Yellow fever has killed 18 people and sickened 67 across nine African nations this year, the World Health Organization said on November 6, 2026.

Read the WHO Disease Outbreak News: https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON624

The 67 confirmed cases, including 18 deaths, were recorded between January 1 and October 12, 2026, in nine countries in the WHO African Region, the agency said. The countries are Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Togo.

The most recent outbreak activity has been concentrated in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Liberia, including in areas close to international borders, the agency said.

No epidemiological links between the events in the different countries have been established, the agency said.

The Cases, The Countries, The Toll

Côte d'Ivoire has been hit hardest, with 30 confirmed cases, including 10 deaths, as of September 23, 2026, the agency said. The case fatality ratio there is 33 percent. Seven cases were confirmed by PRNT and 23 by PCR. Nine districts across seven regions have been affected, with Bounkani Region accounting for 18 of the 30 cases.

Burkina Faso has reported 15 confirmed cases, including three deaths, as of the week ending August 23, 2026, the agency said. The case fatality ratio there is 20 percent.

Ghana has reported four cases confirmed by PCR, including three deaths, as of September 2, 2026, the agency said. Liberia has reported one laboratory-confirmed case, as of September 23, 2026.

Cameroon has reported nine cases, including one death, and Nigeria has reported four cases, including one death, the agency said. The Central African Republic has reported two cases, Guinea one case and Togo one case, with no deaths among the confirmed cases in those three countries.

The Risk, The Response, The Vaccine

On October 27, 2026, the World Health Organization assessed the overall public health risk as moderate in the WHO African Region, the agency said. The global risk remains low.

Continued transmission and additional human cases in the African Region are considered likely, the agency said. Frequent cross-border population movement, competent mosquito vectors and uneven vaccination coverage increase the risk of further transmission and geographic spread.

Occupational and environmental exposures, including work in or near forested areas, mining and other outdoor occupations, are among the factors behind the cases, the agency said.

Health authorities are carrying out enhanced surveillance and case investigation, laboratory testing, active case finding, risk communication and community engagement, and vaccination activities in affected and at-risk areas, the agency said.

The World Health Organization advises against any restriction of travel to, or trade with, states experiencing or responding to the event, the agency said. A single dose of yellow fever vaccine provides lifelong protection, the agency said.

Kind Joe will update this story as the World Health Organization releases new figures.

Sources

World Health Organization, "Yellow fever - WHO African Region," Disease Outbreak News, November 6, 2026: https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON624