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**YELLOW FEVER** **What is it?**

Yellow fever is a viral disease that is mosquito-borne. The illness ranges from mild to severe. The symptoms of the disease include fever, nausea, vomiting, headache, abdominal and muscle pains. Other more severe symptoms include hepatitis and hemorrhagic fever. After a short recovery time, the disease can lead to life threatening illnesses such as shock, bleeding, and kidney and liver failure. Liver failure usually causes jaundice, which is the yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes. This is where the yellow fever disease gets its name. Yellow fever is also known as “yellow jack”, “black vomit”, and “American Plague”. While yellow fever is a rare illness among travelers, it is important to be vaccinated because of its high mortality rate and because of international vaccination requirements. Furthermore, unvaccinated travelers have as high as a 60% chance of contracting the disease. It is essential that when traveling to yellow fever endemic zones, travelers take precautions against exposure to mosquitoes with repellents.



 **Where is it?**

Yellow fever is mainly found in sub-Saharan Africa, few countries in South America such as Brazil and Venezuela, Panama, Trinidad, and Tobago. If one is traveling from an effected area, many countries require proof of the yellow fever vaccine. Fatal cases of yellow fever have mainly occurred in unvaccinated tourist rural areas within the yellow fever endemic zone. Some countries even require a traveler, even if only in transit, to have a valid international certificate of the yellow fever vaccination if they have been in a country known to contain yellow fever. Yellow fever is easily preventable through a safe, effective vaccine. For purposes of international travel, the yellow fever vaccine must be approved by the World Health Organization and administered by an Yellow Fever Vaccination Center. Since the vaccination is extremely safe and the disease is high risk, it is recommended to adults and children over nine months who are traveling to yellow fever endemic zones. Reactions to the yellow fever vaccination are generally mild. Approximately 2% - 5% of vaccinees have mild headaches, body aches, and/or low grade fevers about five to ten days after receiving the vaccination.



** Prevention Methods

** Other than receiving the vaccination before entering yellow fever endemic zones, there are many methods to prevent getting yellow fever. The main prevention method is to avoid mosquito bites. Mosquitoes that carry the yellow fever virus usually bite during the day. Travelers should look to reduce contact with mosquitoes INDOORS and OUTDOORS. When outside, it is important to use insect or mosquito repellent on exposed skin. The best repellents usually contain about 20%-30% DEET. Furthermore, it is recommended that the traveler wear long shirts/pants to reduce the amount of exposed skin. For further protection, clothes can be soaked with special insecticide that will repel mosquitoes. When inside, it is important to stay in a screened area as much as possible. Travelers can spray their rooms with insecticide and use mosquito nets while sleeping to prevent contact with mosquitoes. Once again, the mosquito net can be soaked in insecticide to further themselves from mosquito bites.