How to Prevent Yellow Fever

A virus in the Flavivirus genus causes yellow fever. It is one of the viral hemorrhagic fevers and causes a spectrum of diseases in which the toxic phase is the most serious with a mortality rate of 50 percent. The animal reservoirs are monkeys and yellow fever is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes, usually Aedes aegypti. The following steps will show how to prevent yellow fever.

Instructions

• 1

  Vaccinate local residents and travelers entering into endemic areas. The vaccine lasts for 10 years and is especially important in the case of yellow fever because the treatment is completely supportive. Many countries now require a vaccination for yellow fever before a visitor may enter. You can get an International Certificate of Vaccination, and you may offer this as proof of vaccination.

• 2

  Immunize infants routinely against yellow fever. Woodcutters in tropical areas also are at special risk because of their close proximity with animal reservoirs. A single injection containing .5 ml of reconstituted vaccine is administered subcutaneously.

• 3

  Implement programs to remove local breeding sites of Aedes aegypti locally. These programs have been successful in the past, but funding lapses have allowed this mosquito to return to areas where it was previously eliminated.

• 4

  Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants. Use insect repellents containing up to 50 percent N-diethylmetatoluamide (DEET) on the skin. Apply insecticides containing permethrin to clothing.

• 5

  Use mosquito netting when sleeping outdoors or in poorly screened rooms. Houses should be air conditioned or carefully screened.