Yellow fever is a viral haemorrhagic disease (bleeding from body organs) transmitted primarily by mosquitoes.
It is called ‘yellow fever’ because in serious cases, the skin turns yellow in colour. This is known as ‘jaundice’.
While Yellow fever does not occur in Australia, it can occur in some African and Central American and South American countries and is preventable through immunisation (for individuals aged 9 months and over), before travelling to high risk areas.
Yellow fever is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected mosquitoes.
The disease occurs in two forms – urban (household) and sylvatic (jungle) yellow fever. Both forms are caused by the same virus.
Yellow fever usually takes 3 to 6 days to appear. It begins as a mild illness, symptoms include:
Around 15 to 25 per cent of those with yellow fever infection progress to a second ‘toxic’ stage, of which half die within 10 to 14 days after onset of illness.
Yellow fever can cause visible bleeding, jaundice, kidney and liver failure, which can occur during this second stage.
Yellow fever is preventable with vaccination (from 9 months of age).
For the majority of people, a single dose of yellow fever vaccine results in life-long immunity.
The vaccine is safe and offers 90 per cent protection in 14 days.
With a few exceptions, vaccination is recommended for all travellers to countries or areas where there is a high risk of yellow fever transmission.
For detailed information about yellow fever vaccination, speak to a health professional.
