What is Yellow Fever?
- Yellow Fever is a virus
- It’s carried by certain types of mosquitoes (Aedes and Haemogogus)
- These mosquitoes catch the virus from humans or monkeys
How do you get Yellow Fever?
- Yellow Fever is caught by being bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus
- These can live in both cities and in the jungle
Where do people catch Yellow Fever?
- At the time of writing, there are 2 main regions where there is a risk of catching Yellow Fever:
- Certain countries in Africa
- Certain countries in South America
- You should speak with your regular doctor about Yellow Fever immunisation if you are considering travelling to either of these areas.
What are the symptoms of Yellow Fever?
It usually takes between 3 days to a week to get unwell after being bitten (incubation period)
Mild Yellow Fever
- At first you just feel unwell, with symptoms that may include:
- Fever (high temperature)
- Headache, pain behind the eyes
- Achey muscles and joints
- Photophobia (difficulty with bright light)
- Vomiting
- Tummy pain
- Feeling flushed in the face
- These symptoms tend to improve and you start to feel better after 3 or 4 days.
Severe Yellow Fever
- After the mild illness, within 24 hours of the improvement, some people get worse again.
- You get very sick, very quickly
- Fever
- Bruising of the skin, tiny burst blood vessels under the skin
- Jaundice (yellowness of the skin and the whites of the eyes)
- Bleeding
- Vomiting blood
- Blood in the stool or black sticky stools
Can you die of Yellow Fever?
- Yes
- It’s thought that about 7.5% of all people who get Yellow Fever die
- Up to 50% of people with severe Yellow fever go into a coma then die in the following days
How common is Yellow Fever?
- Nobody knows how many people catch mild Yellow Fever, as people who catch it don’t always get given a diagnosis of Yellow Fever
- In 2013 the World Health Organisation estimated:
- Up to 170,000 cases of severe Yellow Fever each year
- Up to 60,000 deaths each year
What is the treatment for Yellow Fever?
- There is no known cure
- Bed rest and intravenous fluids (a drip into your arm to keep you hydrated) are given
- Sometimes people require blood transfusions or dialysis (life-support for the kidneys)
Does immunisation for Yellow Fever work?
- Yes
- It offers life-long protection against Yellow Fever
- It’s a single dose – no booster is required
- It’s not expensive
- Serious side-effects are rare
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