Brazil's Health Ministry Wednesday confirmed a new death from yellow fever in the state of Mato Grosso, bringing the total number of victims to 15 in the country.

 

A worker in the town of Novo Sao Joaquim, in the east of Mato Grosso, was the first victim of yellow fever registered this year in the state, said the official news agency, Agencia Brasil.

 

Until now, Brazil has reported 57 suspected cases of yellow fever, of which 30 have been confirmed and six are still under investigation.

 

Meanwhile, the government has ordered millions of doses of vaccine.

 

According to the Health Ministry, since last December about 13 million of doses of vaccine have been distributed in the country.

 

At present, all cases are so-called wild yellow fever, which does not spread from person to person.

 

Yellow fever is a viral disease that is transmitted to humans through infected mosquitoes. It has caused extensive epidemics in Africa and the Americas.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 14, 2008)