smileband health issues

Yellow fever is an infection caused by the Yellow fever virus. The majority of individuals will have no illness or a mild illness. Symptoms include:

• fever
• chills
• headache
• body aches
• nausea
• vomiting
• fatigue
• weakness

Approximately 15% of cases will go on to develop a more severe disease which can include high fever, jaundice, bleeding, and eventually shock and multiorgan failure.

Yellow fever virus is generally found in tropical and subtropical areas of South America and Africa.

Arizona has not had a case of yellow fever reported in the last 10 years.

Transmission
Transmission occurs when an individual is bitten by an infected mosquito. It is not transmitted person-to-person.           Isolation Precautions

Standard precautions are recommended in healthcare settings.

Prevention for Patients
Vaccination against Yellow fever is the best prevention method for individuals.  Avoiding contact with mosquitoes is also another prevention method. Methods include:

• Wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts
• Using insect repellent
• Using screens in windows or doors

Public Health Actions
Individuals should be advised to avoid further mosquito exposure during the first 5 days after fever onset to help reduce the transmission of the virus to more mosquitos.

Public health will conduct an epidemiological investigation on a case or suspect case.