Yellow Fever Symptoms

Yellow fever is known to be a tropical disease, which is spread from infected mosquitoes to humans. The symptoms are usually mild to begin with, but the disease could be life threatening. Yellow fever is typically found in parts of Africa and South America. There are two types of yellow fever: one of them is known as the jungle yellow fever. Mosquitoes that are infected by monkeys in the rainforest spread it. This kind of fever is rare and usually affects people who work in the rainforests. The other kind is known as “urban yellow fever”, and is more of a human disease. Infected female mosquitoes spread this from one person to the next. The disease has got its name because people suffering from this disease tend to look yellowish.

The symptoms of the fever start three to six days after being bitten by the infected mosquito. After a few days one might start feeling the symptoms that fall under the acute or early stage, such as fever, muscle pain, backache, shivers, headache, losing appetite, nausea and vomiting. High fever is a common symptom during this phase, and the patient’s pulse rate often slows down as well. Within the next 24 hours about 20% of patients suffering from yellow fever enter the next phase, that is, the toxic phase. This is a delicate phase since the patient would undergo high fever and would be likely to develop jaundice very easily, followed by vomiting and pain in the abdomen. This can get worse if bleeding starts in the mouth, nose, eyes and stomach. Blood would appear in the vomit as well, and the patient could even throw up black vomit. The organ most affected during this phase is the kidney, and this deteriorates urine production in the body. 50 per cent of patients in the toxic phase die within 2 weeks; the remaining 50 per cent do recover slowly but may suffer some organ damage. Over the course of the infection, other symptoms may also appear, such as arrhythmias or heart dysfunction, coma, delirium, high running fever, headache, severe muscle aches, and seizures.

Since yellow fever shows symptoms that are common to other illnesses such as flu or malaria, it is difficult to recognize the disease at an early stage. A patient must visit their doctor immediately to detect the illness because yellow fever can spread and worsen very easily. Although there is no specific treatment for yellow fever, most doctors recommend a course of heavy antibiotics and suggest a heavy liquid diet to prevent dehydration. The best way to prevent yellow fever is to take a timely vaccination.