Yellow fever is yet another fever caused due to mosquito bite. It is the mosquitoes belonging to the Haemogogus and Aedes species that cause this illness. Brazil is widely infected with this deadly disease currently. It is a tropical virus disease that affects the kidneys and liver. The virus that causes this fever is known as the Flavivirus.
The illness starts suddenly and spreads in the whole body. It causes high fever and damages the cells present in kidneys and liver. When a substantial amount of cells present in the liver die, the liver gets damaged and this leads to jaundice. This is a condition in which the skin of the patient turns yellowish in color. If the patient does not receive proper treatment on time, it may turn fatal.
Yellow Fever: Symptoms, Causes and Prevention
Yellow Fever Symptoms Most patients with Yellow fever do not develop any early signs or symptoms of this fatal disease. The symptoms are mostly quite mild and take around 3 to 6 days to appear. Some of the main symptoms of Yellow fever are as follows:
• High Fever
• Albuminuria
• Face Congestion
• Vomiting and Nausea
• Loss of Appetite
• Headache
• Aching Muscles
• Dizziness
• Shivers
In more severe cases, the symptoms include:
• Abdominal Pain
• Blood in Vomiting
• Bleeding from nose and eyes
• Jaundice
• Recurring Fever
• Liver Failure
• Kidney Failure
• Sluggishness
• Hemorrhage
• Delirium
• Irregular Heartbeats
Around 20% to 50% of those who incur sever Yellow Fever die within two weeks.
Yellow Fever – Prevention
An effective vaccination has been developed to prevent Yellow fever. It safeguards against this fatal disease for a period of 10 years. The vaccination is safe for people between 9 months and 60 years of age.
It may have mild side effects such as headache, low fever, fatigue and soreness at the injection site. However, it isn’t considered safe for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, HIV infected people, those allergic to eggs and those with weak immune system.After having Yellow fever once, a person usually gets immune to it. There are very less chances of incurring this fever again. This is not an illness that can spread from person to person.
It can only be incurred via contact with infection-carrying mosquitoes. Anybody travelling to the areas infected with Yellow fever is at high risk of incurring this disease. These areas include sub-Saharan Africa, parts of Caribbean and tropical South America. Travellers must go for vaccination before heading to these places.
It is suggested to take this vaccination at least 10 to 14 days before going to areas affected with Yellow fever. Certain countries demand valid immunization certificate before allowing the travellers to enter.
Read Other Disease:
- Chikungunya: Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment & Prevention
- Listeriosis: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment
- Lassa Fever Treatment, Symptoms, History & Transmission
- Dengue Fever – Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention
- Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)
We suggest you to be safe and take proper precaution to avoid incurring this deadly disease!
Keep following Etoos blog for latest updates.