ABC Medical Center > Diseases > Yellow fever

What is Yellow fever?

21:54 - 4 May , 2021

Disease

It is a hemorrhagic viral infection caused by arboviruses of the Flavivirus family, transmitted by the bite of Aedes and Haemogogus mosquitoes, common in tropical areas, which can cause serious life-threatening health complications. There are three transmission phases of this disease that presents a high degree of mortality, since half of those infected with the severe form lose their lives:

  • Wild: monkeys are the main sources of infection due to mosquito bites, infecting other monkeys.
  • Intermediate: mosquitoes that develop in the jungle and near houses can infect animals and people.
  • Urban: infected people who spread the virus in populated areas where transmission occurs from person to person.

Signs and symptoms Yellow fever

Yellow fever symptoms consist of two stages:

  • Infection: whose characteristic symptoms consist of:
    • Excessive sweating.
    • Abdominal pain.
    • Headache.
    • Muscle and joint pain.
    • High fever.
    • Jaundice.
    • Dizziness.
    • Nausea.
    • Redness of the eyes, face, and tongue.
    • Lack of appetite.
    • Photosensitivity.
    • Vomit.
  • Intoxication: with the presence of the following symptoms:
    • Arrhythmia and heart conditions.
    • Seizures.
    • Kidney or liver failure.
    • Delirium.
    • Coma.
    • Oral, nasal, ocular, or gastric bleeding.

Potential risks:

  • Disseminated intravascular coagulation.
  • Brain dysfunctions.
  • Bacterial infections.
  • Liver and kidney failure.
  • Parotiditis.
  • Coma.
  • Death.

Diagnosis and treatment Yellow fever

The doctor, in addition to reviewing your symptoms and medical history and physically examining you, will ask you to explain where you have been in recent weeks, if you traveled to tropical places or areas with a high presence of mosquitoes. They will also ask you for specific blood tests to help confirm the diagnosis.

So far, there is no special treatment for yellow fever, but it usually involves supportive hospital care through:

  • Blood pressure control.
  • Intravenous fluid and oxygen supply.
  • Dialysis in cases of kidney failure.
  • Plasma transfusions to strengthen coagulation.

Remember that you must act immediately before any of the symptoms appear; timely detection and treatment significantly reduce the mortality rates of this disease.

Also, when traveling to countries or regions with a high incidence of yellow fever, it is recommended that you apply the vaccine, use mosquito repellent and wear clothing that covers as much skin as possible.

At ABC Medical Center’s Internal Medicine Department, we offer health care services with the highest quality and safety, from the prevention, diagnosis, timely treatment, and monitoring of infectious, respiratory, endocrinological, dermatological, rheumatic, nephrological, gastrointestinal, and hematological pathologies of both chronic-degenerative diseases and acute conditions, through a comprehensive and multidisciplinary model.

Related centers and departments

Internal medicine
High Specialty Surgery Center
Radiology and Molecular Imaging
Clinical Laboratory

Fuentes:

  • medlineplus.gov
  • mayoclinic.org
  • paho.org
  • msf.es
  • msdmanuals.com
  • medigraphic.com
  • Placeres HJF, de León RLC, de León OA, et al. Necesidad de incrementar los conocimientos y las acciones de prevención sobre la fiebre mayaro y la fiebre amarilla. Rev Méd Electrón. 2018;40(5):1647-1653.
  • García ÁJA, Ruiz JY, Baño LGF, et al. Fiebre amarilla: actualización. RIC. 2016;95(6):1040-1051.
  • García-Yáñez Y, Pérez-Mendoza MT, Pérez-Ramírez M, et al. Enfermedades emergentes y reemergentes de origen viral transmitidas por el género Aedes. Rev Mex Patol Clin Med Lab. 2018;65(1):22-33.
  • Valente-Acosta B, García-Acosta J. Fiebre amarilla: revisión concisa ante el actual escenario epidemiológico. Med Int Mex. 2017;33(5):648-654.

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