Yellow Fever
This is an acute viral disease from a bite of an aegypti mosquito. Although the disease is tropical and no case yet has been reported in our country, i would like to present this since we have many seafarers and they should be aware of this disease.
The virus has an affinity for the liver, the heart and the kidneys. The mode of transmission is by the aegypti mosquito which becomes infected upon biting a patient during the first five days of illness. 10 days after biting, the mosquito is infective for susceptible individuals. Permanent immunity develops is patients.
Clinically, patients with yellow fever has the following manifestations:
– high grade fever and chills
– body pains
– headache
– flushing
– epigastric pain and tenderness
– jaundice or yellow skin discoloration
– GIT bleeding
– albuminuria
– heart enlargement
– slow heart beat (Faget’s sign)
Some cases may have no symptoms and in milder cases, improvement occurs about the 6th day.
For primary prevention, protection against mosquito bite is important and that for high risked individuals those travelling to tropical countries of South America and Africa, then vaccination for Yellow fever is a must.