Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhere It OrginatedSymptomsHow It Affects HumansTreatment and Self-ManagementWhat to AvoidTravel Tips
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Where It Orginated
Symptoms
How It Affects Humans
Treatment and Self-Management
What to Avoid
Travel Tips
This article explains yellow fever mosquitoes, yellow fever history in the United States, symptoms, vaccine, and treatment.
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Where Did Yellow Fever Originate?
Yellow fever mosquitoes include theAedesorHaemagogusspecies. These mosquitoes are primarily found in Africa (Aedes) and South America (Haemagogus).
Yellow fever likely originated in Africa and then spread throughout the Western hemisphere during the slave trade. It came to the United States in the 1600s, but it wasn’t until 1793 that a yellow fever outbreak killed 10% of the Philadelphia population.The last major yellow fever outbreak in the United States was in 1905 in New Orleans.
How Common Is Yellow Fever?In 2013, African data sources reveal that up to 170,000 severe cases of yellow fever were reported, with as many as 60,000 deaths.
How Common Is Yellow Fever?
In 2013, African data sources reveal that up to 170,000 severe cases of yellow fever were reported, with as many as 60,000 deaths.
The mosquitoes live in tropical and subtropical areas of Africa and South America. Yellow fever rarely affects U.S. travelers to these continents.
Some affected South American countries include:
Yellow fever is a serious illness with a threat of global spread. If you catch it abroad, you could theoretically spread the disease in your home country. However, certain factors would need to exist to make it possible, including mosquito species able to transmit the disease and the right tropical climate conditions.
Profile of Yellow Fever Symptoms
Once you contract yellow fever from a mosquito, the virus incubates in the body for three to six days. After that, you may begin experiencing symptoms, although many people don’t have any symptoms at all.
Yellow fever isnot contagious, meaning it causes illness but is not spread from person to person. Instead, it transmits via mosquitoes, disease vectors that spread the virus after biting an infected person and then biting an uninfected person.
Yellow fever symptomsinclude:
Symptoms typically resolve within a few days. In severe cases, a second phase of the illness begins 24 hours after initial symptoms resolve. In this phase, body systems like the liver and kidneys are affected.
Severe yellow fever symptoms in this phase include:
Unfortunately, severe yellow fever can be fatal.
Yellow Fever Vaccine: What It Does and Doesn’t Do
Health officials recommend the vaccine for people 9 months and older traveling to or living in places with ayellow fever risk.
While the yellow fever vaccine prevents it, it does not treat or cure an active infection.
Yellow Fever: Treatment and Self-Management
There is no medicine or cure for yellow fever. However, for mild cases, at-home comfort measures can help. These include:
Most people survive yellow fever. Severe yellow fever occurs in about 15% of infected people. Of them, it is fatal 30% to 60% of the time.
If you start experiencing another round of symptoms after your initial symptoms have resolved, you should seek medical attention in a hospital. This indicates a severe infection.
What Not to Do for Yellow Fever
When you have yellow fever, it is important to avoid certain things. Some medications can increase your risk of bleeding. Specifically, avoidnonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs), including aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), or naproxen (Aleve) when you have yellow fever.
In addition, it is critical to avoid mosquitos while you are ill. That’s because you could transmit your illness via mosquitos. So, stay inside, use mosquito netting, wear long sleeves and long pants, and wear bug spray if you go outdoors for at least five days after your symptoms begin.
Travel Tips to Avoid Yellow Fever
If you are traveling to a place where yellow fever is a risk, there are some precautions you should take. These include:
The Best Bug Sprays, Tested and Reviewed
Summary
Vaccination can prevent yellow fever. Yellow fever is usually mild, but it can be fatal. Severe cases occur about 15% of the time. Of those, it is fatal in 30% to 60% of cases.
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Society for Microbiology.History of yellow fever in the U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Transmission of yellow fever virus.World Health Organization.Yellow fever.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Areas with risk of yellow fever in Africa.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Areas with risk of yellow fever in South America.World Health Organization.Yellow fever: Symptoms.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Yellow fever vaccine.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Yellow fever: Symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Preventing yellow fever.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Society for Microbiology.History of yellow fever in the U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Transmission of yellow fever virus.World Health Organization.Yellow fever.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Areas with risk of yellow fever in Africa.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Areas with risk of yellow fever in South America.World Health Organization.Yellow fever: Symptoms.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Yellow fever vaccine.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Yellow fever: Symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Preventing yellow fever.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Society for Microbiology.History of yellow fever in the U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Transmission of yellow fever virus.World Health Organization.Yellow fever.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Areas with risk of yellow fever in Africa.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Areas with risk of yellow fever in South America.World Health Organization.Yellow fever: Symptoms.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Yellow fever vaccine.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Yellow fever: Symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Preventing yellow fever.
American Society for Microbiology.History of yellow fever in the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Transmission of yellow fever virus.
World Health Organization.Yellow fever.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Areas with risk of yellow fever in Africa.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Areas with risk of yellow fever in South America.
World Health Organization.Yellow fever: Symptoms.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Yellow fever vaccine.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Yellow fever: Symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Preventing yellow fever.
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