Yellow fever, popularly known as black vomit on account of the presence of blood in the vomit, is an acute destructive disease usually found in tropical regions and caused by a virus transmitted by an infected mosquito. The Togaviridae virus is carried by the Aedes mosquito and the disease affects the liver. The virus has an incubation period of three to eight days. Symptoms include fever, liver damage with accompanying jaundice, and intestinal disorders. There is no cure available for yellow fever. Treatment consists of maintaining the blood volume and the intake of fluids and anticoagulant therapy. Transfusion of fluids is often necessary. In mild and moderate cases the patient recovers after a few days and few complications occur.
If contracted as a child, Yellow Fever results in a mild illness, however, among adults the mortality rate is about 5%. An attack of yellow fever confers lifelong immunity, and traditionally natives in Africa contracted the disease as children, suffered a short mild illness, recovered and were subsequently immune. However, European colonisation of Africa resulted in immunisation programmes which prevented children contracting the disease - though many died from encephalitis as a result of the immunisation - until as adults they became vulnerable, resulting in the 1965 Senegalese Yellow Fever epidemic that killed at least 140 people. Research Yellow Fever
Abbreviations
Medicine
Research Yellow Fever
