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Cause: Yellow fever virus.
Illness and treatment: Early
symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, and
vomiting. Later signs include jaundice, gum bleeding, and
bloody vomit in addition to liver and kidney failure. Twenty
to 50% of jaundiced cases are fatal. Treatment is
supportive.
Sources: Yellow fever occurs
in tropical areas of Africa and South America. There are 2
transmission cycles, a jungle cycle involving non-human
primates and an urban cycle involving humans. Transmission
is by the bite of an infected mosquito.
Prevention: When in endemic
countries, avoid mosquito bites by wearing appropriate
clothing, using insect repellents, using bed nets, and
making sure windows and doors are "bug tight." Consult with
a travel clinic or the CDC Travelers’ Health website for
recommendations about vaccination.
Recent Washington trends: No
cases, with the exception of a vaccine-associated infection
in 2002, have been reported in over 50 years of
surveillance.
2008: No cases were reported.
Purpose of Reporting and
Surveillance
- To identify cases of yellow fever associated with travel
and prevent further spread of the disease within the United
States
Legal Reporting Requirements
-
Health care
providers: immediately
notifiable to local health jurisdiction
-
Hospitals:
immediately notifiable to
local health jurisdiction
-
Laboratories: isolation
of yellow fever virus, or detection of viral antigen,
antibody or nucleic acid notifiable to local health
jurisdiction of the patient» s residence within 2 work
days
-
Local health
jurisdictions: notifiable
to Washington State Department of Health (DOH)
Communicable Disease Epidemiology Section (CDES)
within 7 days of case
investigation completion or summary information required
within 21 days
Last
update
November 2009 |
