Yellow fever
Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In about 15% of people, within a day of improving the fever comes back, abdominal pain occurs, and liver damage begins causing yellow skin. If this occurs, the risk of bleeding and kidney problems is increased.

The disease is caused by yellow fever virus and is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. It infects only humans, other primates, and several types of mosquitoes. In cities, it is spread primarily by "Aedes aegypti", a type of mosquito found throughout the tropics and subtropics. The virus is an RNA virus of the genus "Flavivirus". The disease may be difficult to tell apart from other illnesses, especially in the early stages. To confirm a suspected case, blood-sample testing with polymerase chain reaction is required.

A safe and effective vaccine against yellow fever exists, and some countries require vaccinations for travelers. Other efforts to prevent infection include reducing the population of the transmitting mosquitoes. In areas where yellow fever is common, early diagnosis of cases and immunization of large parts of the population are important to prevent outbreaks. Once a person is infected, management is symptomatic; no specific measures are effective against the virus. Death occurs in up to half of those who get severe disease.

In 2013, yellow fever resulted in about 127,000 severe infections and 45,000 deaths worldwide, with nearly 90 percent of these occurring in Africa. Nearly a billion people live in an area of the world where the disease is common. It is common in tropical areas of the continents of South America and Africa, but not in Asia. Since the 1980s, the number of cases of yellow fever has been increasing. This is believed to be due to fewer people being immune, more people living in cities, people moving frequently, and changing climate increasing the habitat for mosquitoes.

The disease originated in Africa and spread to South America in the 17th century with the Spanish and Portuguese importation of enslaved Africans from sub-Saharan Africa. Since the 17th century, several major outbreaks of the disease have occurred in the Americas, Africa, and Europe. In the 18th and 19th centuries, yellow fever was considered one of the most dangerous infectious diseases; numerous epidemics swept through major cities of the US and in other parts of the world.

In 1927, yellow fever virus was the first human virus to be isolated.
Q808
viral
Concept
Q557429
short duration
Concept
Q38933
fever
Concept
Q2260058
chills
Concept
Q254327
loss of appetite
Concept
Q186889
nausea
Concept
Q86
headache
Concept
Q9368
liver
Concept
Q133244
yellow skin
Concept
Q476921
kidney problems
Concept
Q7367
mosquito
Concept
Q5
human
Concept
Q7380
primate
Concept
Q1148004
Aedes aegypti
Concept
Q42530
tropics
LOC
Q16305538
subtropics
Concept
Q751911
RNA virus
Concept
Q1165479
Flavivirus
Concept
Q176996
polymerase chain reaction
Concept
Q8051876
vaccine against yellow fever
Concept
Q3241045
outbreak
Concept
Q18
South America
LOC
Q15
Africa
LOC
Q48
Asia
LOC
Q7942
changing climate
Concept
Q15
Africa
LOC
Q18
South America
LOC
Q12981973
enslaved Africans
Concept
Q4254860
outbreaks
Concept
Q166231
infectious disease
Concept
Q154874
Yellow fever
Concept
2013-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
2013
DATE
1980-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1980
DATE
1927-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1927
DATE
+15^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
15
NUMBER
+127.000^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
127,000
NUMBER
+90^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
90
NUMBER
+17^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
17
NUMBER
+17^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
17
NUMBER
+18^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
18
NUMBER
+19^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
19
NUMBER
symptoms and signs
symptoms and signs
symptoms and signs
symptoms and signs
symptoms and signs