History

  •  Yellow fever is found in tropical and subtropical areas in South America and Africa.
  • The scientific name for Yellow Fever is Coquillettidia Fuscopennata. 
  • Yellow fever traces back to over 400 years ago.
  • The Yellow in yellow fever comes from the jaundice that affects some if not all patients, causing the yellow skin and eyes.
  • In 1973, Dr. Benjamin Rush mistakenly traced the origin of the epidemic in Philadelphia to rotting coffee dumped on the Arch Street wharf.
  • We know today that Yellow Fever is spread by Aedes aegypti mosquito.

 Diagnosis/Symptoms

  • Majority of persons infected with yellow fever have no illness or only mild illness
  • Incubation period is typically 3-6 days
  • There are often sudden symptoms such as:
    • Fever/chills
    • Headache
    • Back pain/body aches
    • Nausea/vomiting
    • Fatigue & weakness  
  • People are diagnosed by:
    • Common symptoms
    • Physical findings
    • Laboratory testing
    • Travel History
  • 15% of patients will develop a more severe form including high fever, jaundice, bleeding, and eventually shock and failure of multiple organs.
  • Diagnosis also includes the possibility of exposure to infected mosquitoes.

Transmission

  • There are three types of transmission cycle: Sylvatic, intermediate and urban.
  • Sylvatic (Jungle):
    • Occurs in tropical rain forests where monkeys, infected by sylvatic mosquitoes pass the virus to other monkeys.
    • These mosquitoes then bite, and infect humans entering the forest.
  • Intermediate:
    • Occurs in humid or semi-humid savannas of Africa
    • The land can produce small-scale epidemics in rural villages
    • Semi-domestic mosquitoes infect both monkey and human hosts.
  • Urban
    • Results in large explosive epidemics when travellers from rural areas introduce the virus into areas with high human population density.
    • Domestic mosquitoes carry the virus from person to person

 Control/Prevention

  •  In order to avoid getting yellow fever one should avoid mosquitoes bites by using:
    • Insect repellent
    • Protective clothing
    • Getting vaccinated
  • A yellow fever vaccine=live virus. 
  • This vaccine protects persons for 10 or more years.

    Vaccine/Treatment  


  •  Patients should be protected from further mosquito exposure (staying indoors and/ or under a mosquito net)during the first few days of illness.
  • If patients protect themselves the virus in their bloodstream will be unavailable to other uninfected mosquitos, thus breaking the transmission cycle and reducing risk to the persons around them.

 

Citation:

 Arneback, Bob. "Short History of Yellow Fever". Short History of Yellow Fever. N.p., 30 Jan. 2008. Web. 01 July 2013.

 "Yellow Fever". WHO. World Health Organization, n.d. Web. 01 July 2013.

"Yellow Fever".Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13 Dec. 2011. Web. 01 July 2013.