infections
Yellow Fever
Introduction
Yellow fever is a mosquito-borne viral disease that occurs mainly in the tropics. Yellow fever occurs only in the tropical areas of Central Africa, southern Panama, and South America. Some people with yellow fever have no or mild symptoms, but others have more severe symptoms such as yellow skin (jaundice), fever, headache, muscle aches, and bleeding. Doctors diagnose yellow fever by growing (culturing) the virus, by doing blood tests to detect antibodies to the virus, or by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques to help identify the virus's genetic material. Treatment is mainly supportive and includes medications to treat or prevent bleeding. A vaccine is available for use by people residing in endemic countries and for travelers to areas where yellow fever is common, but avoiding mosquito bites is also important. Yellow fever is caused by a Overview of Arbovirus, Arenavirus, and Filovirus Infections that is spread by mosquitoes. Yellow fever is one of the most easily recognized and historically important viral infections. In the past, major epidemics of yellow fever caused tens of thousands of deaths. Once common in tropical and temperate zones around the world, the disease now occurs only in the tropical areas of Central Africa, southern Panama, and South America. Infection is more common during hot, rainy, humid months in South America and during the late rainy and early dry seasons in Africa. 