Yellow Fever
What is Yellow Fever?
Yellow fever is a viral infection transmitted by a bite from infected mosquitoes.These mosquitoes are most commonly found in South America and Africa. If this viral infection is transmitted to humans, it damages the liver and other internal organs and be potentially fatal.This virus appears to be on the rise globally, decreased immunity, deforestation, climate change, and high-density urbanization are some of the reasons for its global spread.
How do you get affected?
Humans get affected by yellow fever through mosquito bites.The infection can also be transmitted directly through injection of contaminated needles to bloodstream.Different species of mosquitoes can transmit the yellow fever virus, where some breed in urban areas and others in jungles.
Symptoms
Its most obvious symptoms fever and yellowing of the skin.The disease causes liver damage which tends in yellowing of the skin, hepatitis.Yellow fever has no initial symptoms in some people,commonly the first symptoms appear from three to six days after the virus transmits from mosquito bite.
Yellow fever infection typically has three phases. First phase of symptoms lasts for three to four days which disappears for most of people. The first phase is not specific and hard to be distinguished from common viral infections.
The initial symptoms are:
The next phase lasts 48 hours which is mostly remission. The majority of patients improve.
The third phase which is a more toxic phase of infection occurs in 15% to 25% of the patients. The condition of viral hemorrhagic fever could develop with internal bleeding (hemorrhaging) and high fever which can cause damage to the liver, kidneys, and circulatory system.
The final phase symptoms of can include: