Symptoms of Yellow Fever

Yellow fever is also commonly known as yellow jack, or the American Plague. This is primarily a viral infection that is caused due to the presence of a virus called flavivirus. The reason it has this colorful name is that some of its symptoms are pretty much the same as those of jaundice. This is basically a hemorrhagic fever. The symptoms of yellow fever include yellowing of the skin when the fever is at its height. If the fever has caught on full hold, then you may also be afflicted with a fever. This fever can also be accompanied with or followed by severe retching and vomiting. If afflicted with yellow fever, it is generally very difficult to keep food down. You have to be really careful about what you eat, since extreme cases of yellow fever may also lead to malfunctioning or damaged kidneys. If you notice blood in your urine, then you can be sure your kidneys are also affected. You need to be really vigilant about the symptoms of yellow fever, since it can also be fatal if left untreated. If you are visiting parts of the world where the disease has not yet been eradicated, then you should always take the yellow fever vaccine to guard against contracting it. If you are travelling around the coast of South America and Africa, then you will be advised to take these vaccines.

It can also be quite easy to miss the symptoms because they do not outwardly manifest for about a week. And even then, they may appear to be symptoms of indigestion and a bad stomach. So it is better that you be aware whether you are in a country where this disease still exists. It is also good to be aware that there is not medical cure available for this disease. So you can only adopt prevention, which will possibly be the only cure. You also cannot control it since it is transmitted by something as simple as a mosquito bite. What makes it even worse is that if you are bitten by an infected mosquito, the symptoms may take even longer to manifest it self outwardly. By the time the symptoms have manifested themselves it may well be too late to do anything about the situation. While it is true that very few people actually get this disease from mosquitoes, you cannot discard the possibilities. Aged people tend to be more easily afflicted by this disease.