Yellow fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes. The “yellow” in the name refers to the jaundice that affects some patients.
Yellow fever virus originated in Africa and was brought to the western hemisphere during the slave trade era, with the first epidemic reported in 1648 in the Yucatan
The virus is endemic in tropical areas of Africa and Central and South America. Forty-seven countries in Africa (34) and Central and South America (13) are either endemic for, or have regions that are endemic for, yellow fever
The yellow fever virus is transmitted by mosquitoes, belonging to the Aedes and Haemogogus species. The different mosquito species live in different habitats – some breed around houses (domestic), others in the jungle (wild), and some in both habitats (semi-domestic).
Symptoms of Yellow Fever
- Fever,
- Headache,
- Jaundice,
- Muscle pain,
- Nausea,
- Vomiting and
- Fatigue.
A small proportion of patients who contract the virus develop severe symptoms and approximately half of those die within 7 to 10 days.
Large epidemics of yellow fever occur when infected people introduce the virus into heavily populated areas with high mosquito density and where most people have little or no immunity, due to lack of vaccination. In these conditions, infected mosquitoes of the Aedes aegypti species transmit the virus from person to person.
Prevention of Yellow Fever
Yellow fever is prevented by an extremely effective vaccine, which is safe and affordable. A single dose of yellow fever vaccine is sufficient to grant sustained immunity and life-long protection against yellow fever disease. A booster dose of the vaccine is not needed. The vaccine provides effective immunity within 10 days for 80-100% of people vaccinated, and within 30 days for more than 99% of people vaccinated.
Good supportive treatment in hospitals improves survival rates. There is currently no specific anti-viral drug for yellow fever.
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Source: World Health Organisation
Staples JE, Monath TP. Yellow Fever: 100 Years of Discovery. JAMA. 2008;300(8):960–962. doi:10.1001/jama.300.8.960
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