Detection and Molecular Characterization of Yellow Fever Virus, 2017, Brazil

At the end of 2016, Brazil experienced an unprecedented yellow fever (YF) outbreak. Clinical, molecular and ecological aspects of human and non-human primate (NHP) samples collected at the beginning of the outbreak are described in this study. Spatial distribution analyses demonstrated a strong overlap between human and NHP cases. Through molecular analyses, we showed that the outbreak had a sylvatic origin, caused by the South American genotype 1 YFV, which has already been shown to circulate in Brazil. As expected, the clusters of cases were identified in regions with a low vaccination coverage. Our findings highlight the importance of the synchronization of animal surveillance and health services to identify emerging YF cases, thereby promoting a better response to the vulnerable population.