What is Yellow Fever?

Symptoms of Yellow Fever

There are few 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 and toxic phase.

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

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

Later Stage - There may be a day or two after the acute phase when signs and symptoms subside, but some people with acute yellow fever then enter the toxic phase. The acute signs and symptoms of yellow Fever was recur during the toxic phase, along with increasingly severe and life-threatening ones. These may include:

• Jaundice is the yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes.
• Stomach pain, nausea, and even bloody vomiting
• Reduced urination
• 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 persists for a long time and signs or symptoms of the toxic phase start developing. Also, if you are travelling to a place where yellow fever is more common, keep your doctor informed.

Causes of Yellow Fever

• The Aedes aegypti mosquito spreads the virus that causes yellow fever. These mosquitoes reproduce in even the cleanest water and thrive in and around human settlements. This virus is known to affect humans and 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 yellow fever virus enters the host's bloodstream, and symptoms may start to appear soon.

Risk Factors of Yellow Fever

• If you visit a location where mosquitoes continue to spread the yellow fever virus, you could be at risk of contracting the illness.
• Even while there have been no recent reports of infected people in most regions, this doesn't always mean that you're safe. It's possible that local populations have received yellow fever vaccinations and are immune to the illness or that yellow fever cases simply haven't been found and reported.
• If you plan to visit such a region, get vaccinated against yellow fever at least a few weeks before 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 of Yellow Fever

Follow these precautions for preventing yellow fever:

Diagnosis of Yellow Fever

Yellow fever symptoms are frequently confused with those of dengue fever, typhoid fever, malaria, 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 of Yellow Fever

Yellow fever cannot be effectively treated with antiviral medications. 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.

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

Lifestyle Changes and Selfcare

Adopt the 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

To manage this illness, along with its associated infections and symptoms, appropriate therapy and a set of dos and don'ts must be adhered to.