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.
Purpose of Reporting and Surveillance
- To identify cases of yellow fever associated with travel
- To prevent further spread of the disease within the United States
Legal Reporting Requirements
- Health care providers and health care facilities: immediately notifiable to local health jurisdiction
- Laboratories: any positive result except IgG immediately notifiable to local health jurisdiction; submission required – specimen associated with any positive result excluding IgG, within 2 business days.
- Local health jurisdictions: suspected and confirmed cases are immediately notifiable to the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) Communicable Disease Epidemiology (CDE) (206-418-5500 or 1-877-539-4344).