What is yellow fever?
• Yellow fever is a disease caused by a virus that is spread through mosquito bites.
• Symptoms take 3–6 days to develop and include fever, chills, headache, backache, and muscle aches.
• About 15% of people who get yellow fever develop serious illness that can lead to bleeding, shock, organ failure, and sometimes death.
What Causes?
• caused by infection with a virus of the genus Flavivirus virus
• Liver damage results in severe jaundice-yellowing of the skin,hence the name “yellow fever”.
Signs and symptoms
• General malaise
• Fever
• Chills
• Headache
• Lower back pain
• Nausea
• Dizziness
Treatment
• There is no specific treatment for yellow fever.
• Supportive care to treat dehydration, respiratory failure and fever.
• Associated bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics.
• Blood products for severe bleeding.
Transmission
• The yellow fever virus is an arbovirus of the flavivirus genus , It carries the virus from one host to another, primarily between monkeys, from monkeys to humans, and from person to person.
Prevention
• Vaccination
• Cover exposed skin by wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and hats.
• Use a bed net if the area where you are sleeping is exposed to the outdoors.
• Stay and sleep in screened or air conditioned rooms.
Warning
• In rare cases, the yellow fever vaccine can have serious and sometimes fatal side effects.
• People older than 60 years and people with weakened immune systems might be at higher risk of developing these side effects.
• There are special concerns and talk to your doctor about whether you should get the vaccine for pregnant and nursing women.