Tiny Mosquito
Mosquito Diseases - Yellow Fever
What is yellow fever?
Yellow fever is a viral disease known to have caused large epidemics
in Africa and North and South America. There are an estimated 200,000
cases of yellow fever per year resulting in 30,000 deaths.
Several different species of mosquitoes transmit the yellow fever virus. Humans and monkeys are the principal victims. An infected biting mosquito carries the virus from one host to another.
The illness ranges in severity from an influenza-like syndrome to severe hepatitis.
What are the symptoms?
After remaining dormant in the body for three to six days,
the disease progresses in two phases.
The first phase is characterized by fever, muscle pain, headache, shivers, loss of appetite, nausea and/or vomiting. After three to four days of the first phase, most patients improve and their symptoms disappear. However, a small 15% enter a "toxic phase" within 24 hours of the first phase. Fever reappears and several body systems are affected. Jaundice rapidly develops accompanied by abdominal pain and vomiting. Bleeding can also occur from the mouth, nose, eyes and/or in the stomach, and blood may be present in the vomit and feces. Kidney function eventually deteriorates.
Half of the patients in the "toxic phase" die within ten to fourteen days while others recover without significant organ damage.
What is the method of treatment?
There is no specific treatment for yellow fever. Dehydration and fever
can be corrected with oral rehydration salts and paracetamol, while bacterial
infection should be treated with an appropriate antibiotic.
A vaccination to prevent yellow fever is available. The vaccine is safe and highly effective.
Learn more about yellow fever.
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