Yellow fever kills 259 people in Brazil this year

A death wave of yellow fever has hit Brazil this year, killing at least 259 people, especially in the southeast part of the country, the government announced on Friday.

The disease is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the same vector as Zika, dengue and chikungunya.

The Ministry of Health generated a statement which stated that 259 deaths have been confirmed, another 47 are being investigated and 115 have been ruled out as being due to other causes.

Read more: Brazil declares end to 'Zika virus' emergency after a sink in cases

The number of cases registered have ascended to 756, while another 622 potential cases are being analyzed by health authorities. The most affected states are Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo, both in the southeast of Brazil, with 488 and 234 confirmed cases respectively.

Brazil on Thursday declared an end to its public health emergency for the Zika virus, declared in November 2015. There has been a similar drop for dengue and chikungunya.