Yellow Fever: Facts, Causes, Symptoms, And Treatments

Interesting Facts To Know About Yellow Fever

Yellow fever is a killer disease that has endangers the human race since the seventh century.

It ravaged the American population for a very long time before the cause of the disease was known in the ninth century via research carried out by the US military on the work of Dr. Carlos Finlay.

The discovery of the cause of the yellow fever disease was a groundbreaking step in finding solutions to combat the disease outbreak.

Despite the recorded successes in the fight against yellow fever since its outbreak, there is no known cure for the disease.

However, successes in the development and production of vaccines against yellow fever have helped to control, contain and eradicate the outbreak of yellow fever disease.

In recent times, different regions in African particularly in Nigeria are seen to be under siege by the novel yellow fever. It has been confirmed that yellow fever is the culprit for the cause of strange death in certain parts of Nigeria.

Measures are now being put in place to effectively vaccinate people in the regions where there are outbreaks.

What is the cause of yellow fever?

Yellow fever disease is caused by an arbovirus belonging to the flavivirus genus and is transmitted through mosquito bites. The mosquito breed belonging to Aedes and Haemogogus spp. are the main vector of the disease transmission.

In the wild, monkeys serve as the primary reservoir host of the arbovirus. The infected mosquito of the Aedes spp spread the virus by biting humans when taking blood meal after taking a blood meal from a wild monkey.

More persons are then infected when a mosquito carries the virus from an infected human to other humans while taking a blood meal. This cycle continues, leading to an outbreak of the yellow fever virus

Though human is an accidental host of the yellow fever virus, human cannot spread the virus to another human through any means except in the case of a direct blood contact from an infected person.

Symptoms of Yellow Fever 

Most people battling with yellow fever disease are asymptomatic, however, others may present with fever-like symptoms which may deteriorate as the disease progresses if left untreated. Some of these symptoms include;

• Fever
• Chill
• Headache/backache
• Lack of appetite
• Kidney failure
• Jaundice
• Seizure
• Coma

Diagnosis

Yellow fever is quite difficult to diagnose especially in the early stages. Cases of yellow fever can be confused with other ailments such as; viral hepatitis, jaundice, malaria, leptospirosis, poisoning etc.

However, the blood and the urine can be tested for polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Testing for antibodies in the blood is only dependable in the later stage of the infection/disease.

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Treatment

Just as stated earlier, there is currently no antiviral drug that is effective against yellow fever for its treatment. Treatment of yellow fever is based on the virus effect on specific organs such as the liver and the kidney.

Yellow fever disease got its prominent name from the yellow color of the eye- a feature of jaundice which results from excessive breakdown of red blood cells and the virus-negative impact on the human liver.

Vaccination

Vaccination is the major and most successful means of preventing yellow fever outbreaks. It is safe, reliable, effective, and cheap to access. A single dose is all that is needed to provide life-long protection against the yellow fever disease.

Yellow fever vaccination can be done at almost all ages; ranging from infant to adulthood.

Yellow Fever: Facts, Causes, Symptoms, And Treatments

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Raphael Okhueleigbe

Raphael Osas Okhueleigbe is a Blogger, Content creator, Agricultural Economist, Resource manager, and the founder of greener health.

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