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• Yellow Fever

Yellow Fever

What is it?

Yellow Fever is a potentially fatal viral disease that is transmitted through mosquitoes found in tropical areas of Africa and the Americas. There are two types of yellow fever; jungle and urban.

Risk areas:

The World Health Organisation (December 2009) has produced a list of areas and countries where there is an increased risk of yellow fever:

• Africa – Sub Saharan Africa, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda
• South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
• Caribbean – Trinidad and Tobago

Transmission:

Through mosquitoes that have previously bitten infected humans or monkeys.

Symptoms:

The virus can incubate in the body for three to six days. Symptoms can include fever, muscle pain, back pain, shivers, headache, loss of appetite, and vomiting. Symptoms can disappear after 3 to 4 days. A small percentage of people can also go to a second phase of symptoms up to 24 hours after initial symptoms have disappeared which can include jaundice, abdominal pain and vomiting.

Treatment:

Yellow fever can be difficult to diagnose from the outset due to similar conditions to other diseases, however, blood tests can identify the disease. There is no specific treatment, other than that for the dehydration and fever.

Vaccinations:

Vaccination is recommended for travel to areas where yellow fever is present. Many of these countries require certificates of vaccination before entry. Some other countries require certificates from those arriving from "infected areas" because they have the mosquito vector and have the potential to become "infected". For country specific advice see the country concerned. You must also take full steps to prevent being bitten by mosquitoes.