Typical symptoms of Yellow Fever:
Symptoms can take up to a week to develop, and are very similar to a flu infection. Fever, headache, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, muscle pain or body aches, and photosensitivity are all common features of this disease. In some cases, if the disease develops, more severe symptoms may show up, such as jaundice (where the skin becomes yellowish), bleeding from the nose, mouth, or eyes, vomiting or passing blood in the stools. In some of these cases with more serious symptoms, the infection can be fatal.
Causes
The yellow fever virus is spread by mosquito bites in towns and rural areas where the disease is prevalent. It isn’t caught through having physical contact with an infected person. Your best method of avoiding the disease is to get vaccinated and prevent mosquito bites.
What to do next
If you have recently visited an area where yellow fever is present, or would like to discuss vaccination options before travel, a member of our team will be pleased to help you. Give us a call or use our online booking system to make an appointment.
FAQ
There is no cure for yellow fever, but your symptoms should be managed and monitored by a doctor whilst your body is fighting the infection. If your symptoms are severe, hospitalisation may be necessary.
The “yellow” refers to jaundice, a common symptom of the disease in which the skin turns yellow. The yellow colour is caused by bilirubin, a yellow pigment that is formed when the liver breaks down old blood cells. When the liver is overloaded, it cannot break these cells down, resulting in an excess of bilirubin in the body.
Yes. A single dose of the vaccine is sufficient for life-long protection and does not need to be augmented with booster shots.
