Yellow fever is a severe, mosquito-borne disease caused by a flavivirus. It is present mainly in tropical and subtropical regions. There is no cure for yellow fever, but it is preventable with a vaccine.
It has two stages: the acute phase, characterized by fever, headaches, nausea, and jaundice, and the toxic phase, which can be fatal.
The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the primary vector for yellow fever, which is active during the day and breeds in standing water.
Roughly 200,000 cases worldwide are reported annually, 30,000 considered fatal.
Yellow fever is most commonly active in Africa, South America, and the Caribbean.
Symptoms usually appear 3 to 6 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito and can last up to 10 days.
The yellow fever virus is spread from person to person through blood, causing severe liver and kidney damage.
The best way to prevent yellow fever is to get vaccinated against it and take basic prevention measures against mosquito bites.
There are over 200 species of mosquitoes capable of transmitting the virus, mostly in tropical or subtropical regions.
Diagnosis of yellow fever is usually confirmed by clinical un-interpretation, serological testing, and ruling out other similar diseases.
The virus can be treated by supportive care, with antiviral medications and oxygen therapy used in severe cases.
