Yellow Fever
General Information
Yellow fever is a serious viral infection caused by yellow fever virus. This disease is transmitted by female Aedes mosquitoes. Yellow fever virus can be found in tropical and subtropical areas in South America and Africa. The the name, “Yellow fever” refers to the symptom that some patients show when they are affected, which is the yellowing of the skin (Jaundice).
Yellow fever is a serious viral infection caused by yellow fever virus. This disease is transmitted by female Aedes mosquitoes. Yellow fever virus can be found in tropical and subtropical areas in South America and Africa. The the name, “Yellow fever” refers to the symptom that some patients show when they are affected, which is the yellowing of the skin (Jaundice).
Symptoms:
Most people infected by yellow fever virus have no illness or only mild illness. If a person develop symptoms, symptoms will show in about 3-6 days. Symptoms of severe yellow fever include fever, chills, severe headache, back pain, general body aches, nausea, and vomiting, fatigue, and weakness. |
Treatments and Preventions:
Although there is no specific antiviral drug found for treating yellow fever, there is an effective way to prevent the disease. Yellow fever can be prevented by safe and very effective vaccine. “A single dose of yellow fever vaccine is sufficient to confer sustained immunity and life-long protection against yellow fever disease and a booster dose of the vaccine is not needed.” (World Health Organization, May, 2016).
Although there is no specific antiviral drug found for treating yellow fever, there is an effective way to prevent the disease. Yellow fever can be prevented by safe and very effective vaccine. “A single dose of yellow fever vaccine is sufficient to confer sustained immunity and life-long protection against yellow fever disease and a booster dose of the vaccine is not needed.” (World Health Organization, May, 2016).
History:
In in 1880, when Panama Canal in Panama was constructed, there was a huge outbreak of yellow fever and malaria. Almost all engineers who came to construct the Panama Canal died from these infectious diseases. Although many people died from these diseases, the construction of Panama Canal was continued until 1889. By the time when the construction of the canal was finally cancelled, at least twenty thousand people died from the outbreak of yellow fever and malaria. “In 1951, Max Theiler of the Rockefeller Foundation received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of an effective vaccine against yellow fever... This was the first, and so far the only, Nobel Prize given for the development of a virus vaccine.” (Norrby, 2007) |