Yellow Fever

Our Approach

At Franciscan Health, our doctors diagnose yellow fever with a blood test. If you have the virus, you may need hospital care, which might involve:

• Fluids
• Oxygen
• Blood transfusions for blood loss or to improve clotting
• Dialysis during kidney failure
• Treatment for infections

What is yellow fever?

Yellow fever is a disease you get from a specific type of mosquito. It's caused by a virus. The mosquito infects both monkeys and humans. Although humans can't spread yellow fever to each other, it can be transmitted through contaminated needles. About 200,000 cases occur worldwide each year, according to the World Health Organization.

Yellow fever affects travelers and residents in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America. It gets its name from the skin yellowing caused by liver damage (jaundice).

While mild cases are uncomfortable, severe cases of yellow fever can be life-threatening and cause organ damage, internal bleeding or death.

People who survive a severe yellow fever infection recover over several weeks or months. They may experience fatigue or other infections. Once you have yellow fever, you're immune to the virus for life.

Yellow fever symptoms

A person with yellow fever doesn't show any symptoms during the incubation period - about three to six days after infection. After that, the disease transitions to an acute phase. For most people, symptoms improve in several days.

Symptoms of acute yellow fever may include:

• Dizziness
• Fever
• Headache
• Loss of appetite
• Muscle aches (especially in the back and knees)
• Nausea
• Red eyes and face
• Sensitivity to light
• Vomiting

Sometimes a toxic phase of yellow fever returns with more severe, life-threatening symptoms. In the severe phase, these symptoms may occur:

• Abdominal pain
• Bleeding from the nose, mouth and eyes
• Brain problems
• Coma
• Decreased urination
• Kidney failure
• Liver failure
• Seizures
• Vomiting
• Yellowing in the skin and eyes

How to protect yourself from yellow fever

If you are planning to travel, check whether yellow fever exists in the areas where you will be visiting. Four weeks before your trip, meet with your doctor to get the yellow fever vaccine so it has time to work. Getting a yellow fever vaccine can protect you from contracting the disease.