Yellow Fever: Facts & Information
Yellow Fever information: symptoms, prevention, and vaccination.
A viral disease transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes. It can cause fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, and jaundice. The disease occurs in tropical regions of Africa and Central/South America. Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent transmission.
People who do get sick will start having symptoms (e.g., fever, chills, headache, backache, and muscle aches) 3–6 days after they are infected.
About 12% of people who have symptoms go on to develop serious illness: jaundice yellow fever, bleeding, shock, organ failure, and sometimes death.
Anyone aged nine months and older living in or traveling to areas with a risk of transmission should receive the vaccine, which is almost 100% effective in preventing infection from an infected mosquito. Some countries make the vaccine a mandatory requirement for entry, so it is essential to get vaccinated if you plan to travel to those destinations.
Everyone who is living in or traveling to areas where there is a possibility of transmission should receive the vaccine, regardless of their age, according to the recommendation. Moreover, under the International Health Regulations, some countries actually require proof of vaccination as a condition of entry.
- Infants younger than 4 months of age.
- Someone who has had the cholera vaccine within the previous three weeks.
Receiving a yellow fever vaccine typically causes few, if any, side effects. However, some patients may experience a fever, headache, or muscle aches in the two weeks following the vaccination. Although rare, encephalitis has developed in very young infants after receiving the vaccine.
- Immunocompromised persons, including people with HIV, AIDS, leukemia, lymphoma, generalized malignancy.
- Pregnant women should not be vaccinated unless traveling to or residing in high-risk areas.
Risk Map