What is Yellow Fever?

Symptoms

There won't be many symptoms or indicators for the first three to six days after contracting yellow fever (the initial phase). Following this, the infection goes through an acute phase and, in rare situations, a potentially fatal & toxic phase.

Initial Stage - In this primary phase, the following symptoms may appear:

• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle ache in the back and knees
• Sensitivity to light
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Dizziness
• Redness of eyes, face or tongue

Later Stage - After the acute phase, signs and symptoms could diminish for a day or two, but some patients with acute yellow fever subsequently move into the toxic phase. The acute signs and symptoms recur during the toxic phase, along with increasingly severe and life-threatening ones. These may include:

• Yellowing of skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)
• Stomach pain, nausea, and even bloody vomiting
• Reducedurinations
• Nose bleeding, mouth, and eye bleeding
• Sluggish heartbeat
• Failure of Kidneys and liver
• Brain malfunction, such as coma, seizures, and delirium

Yellow fever's toxic phase can be dangerous.

When to see a doctor?

Visit a doctor when the fever stays for long and signs or symptoms of the toxic phase start developing. Also, if travelling to a place where yellow fever is more common, keep your doctor informed.

Causes

The virus that causes yellow fever is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. These mosquitoes reproduce in even the cleanest water and thrive in and around human settlements. This virus is known to affect humans as well as monkeys.

Once a mosquito bites a host carrying this disease, the yellow fever virus circulates through its bloodstream before settling in the salivary glands.

Once bitten,the virus enters the host's bloodstream and soon symptoms may start to appear.

Risk Factors

If you visit a location where mosquitoes continue to spread the yellow fever virus, you could be at risk for contracting the illness.

Even while there aren't any recent reports of infected people in most regions, it doesn't always mean that you're safe. It's possible that local populations have received vaccinations and are immune to the illness, or that yellow fever cases simply haven't been found and reported.

If planning to visit such a region, get vaccinated against yellow fever at least a few weeks prior to your trip to ensure your safety.

The yellow fever virus can infect anyone, although older persons or persons with reduced immunity are more likely to become critically ill.

Prevention

Follow these precautions for preventing yellow fever:

Diagnosis

Yellow fever symptoms can be easily confused with malaria, typhoid, dengue fever, and other viral hemorrhagic fevers. Thus, diagnosing yellow fever based only on signs and symptoms is usually a bit challenging.

Your medical professional will most likely:

• Inquire about your past trips and medical history
• Take a blood sample for analysis

If you have yellow fever, the virus itself may be found in your blood. If not, blood testing can also find antigens and other elements unique to the virus.

Treatment

Antiviral drugs have not been effective in treating yellow fever. As a result, supportive care at a hospital makes up for the majority of the treatment. This includes giving patients fluids and oxygen, keeping their blood pressure at a healthy level, replacing lost blood, dialysis for patients with kidney failure, and treating any other infections that may arise. Some people also receive plasma transfusions to replace blood proteins that help with clotting.

In order to prevent spreading of the illness to others, your doctor may advise staying indoors and away from mosquitoes.Those who contract this disease are more likely to be resistant to future instances of yellow fever.

Lifestyle changes and Selfcare

Adopt following lifestyle changes in your daily routine-

• Use mosquito repellent before going out
• Do not go into gardens or bushy areas in the dark
• Close windows at night
• Eat healthy food
• Sanitise your home regularly
• If you have gardens at home, ensure regular pest controlling
• Wear protective clothing that keeps you covered

Dos and Don’ts

This condition requires proper treatment and a set of do’s and don’ts to be followed to manage it and its related symptoms and infections.