home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- $Unique_ID{BRK04345}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{Yellow Fever}
- $Subject{Yellow Fever Bunyavirus Infection Dengue Fever Viral Encephalitis
- Malaria }
- $Volume{}
- $Log{}
-
- Copyright (C) 1990 National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc.
-
- 721:
- Yellow Fever
-
- ** IMPORTANT **
- It is possible that the main title of the article (Yellow Fever) is not
- the name you expected. Please check the SYNONYM listing to find the
- alternate names and disorder subdivisions covered by this article.
-
- Synonyms
-
- Bunyavirus Infection
-
- Information on the following diseases can be found in the Related
- Disorders section of this report:
-
- Dengue Fever
- Viral Encephalitis
- Malaria
-
- General Discussion
-
- ** REMINDER **
- The information contained in the Rare Disease Database is provided for
- educational purposes only. It should not be used for diagnostic or treatment
- purposes. If you wish to obtain more information about this disorder, please
- contact your personal physician and/or the agencies listed in the "Resources"
- section of this report.
-
- Yellow Fever is a viral infection which causes damage to the liver,
- kidney, heart and gastrointestinal tract. Major symptoms may include sudden
- onset of fever, yellowing of the skin (jaundice) and hemorrhage. It occurs
- predominately in South America, the Caribbean Islands and Africa. The
- disease is spread through bites of infected mosquitos. Incidence of the
- disease tends to increase in the summer as the mosquito population increases,
- and it occurs year round in tropical climates.
-
- Yellow Fever has two cycles: the sylvan cycle in which mosquitos
- primarily spread the disease among forest-dwelling primates, and the urban
- cycle in which the infection is spread from human to human.
-
- Symptoms
-
- The symptoms of Yellow Fever are the sudden onset of fever and chills along
- with headache, backache, generalized pain, nausea, vomiting, flushed face and
- infection of the inner eyelid. The fever usually disappears after three
- days, reappearing several days later with new symptoms of jaundice, bleeding
- gums, soft palate hemorrhages, and the vomiting of blood (black vomit). The
- patient may go into shock during this phase.
-
- Yellow Fever may also appear in a mild form with symptoms resembling
- influenza, malaria, dengue fever or typhoid. In this case, the fever usually
- lasts less than one week.
-
- Causes
-
- Yellow Fever is caused by a virus spread by the bite by an infected mosquito.
- Initially, a mosquito acquires the disease by ingesting the blood of an
- infected host. The mosquito then transmits the infection to its next bite
- victim.
-
- Affected Population
-
- Yellow Fever affects males and females equally. People living in
- semitropical or tropical climates are at risk unless they are vaccinated
- against this infection. People in southern areas of the United States,
- living near marshes and swamps may be at risk during the summer months.
-
- Related Disorders
-
- Symptoms of the following disorders can be similar to those of Yellow Fever.
- Comparisons may be useful for a differential diagnosis:
-
- Dengue Fever is a disease also transmitted by a mosquito bite and
- characterized by a skin rash and a high fever with severe pain in the head
- and muscles. There is a sudden onset of symptoms with pain also occuring in
- the lower back, legs and joints. (For more information on this disorder,
- choose "Dengue Fever" as your search term in the Rare Disease Database).
-
- Viral Encephalitis is a disease characterized by fever, headache,
- vomiting, rigidity of the neck, lethargy and convulsions. Generalized
- muscular weakness and paralysis may also occur.
-
- Malaria is a communicable disorder also spread through the bite of a
- mosquito. Symptoms include chills and fever, although not every case follows
- the same pattern. Symptoms may begin a week after exposure to the mosquito
- or months later. (For more information of this disorder, choose "Malaria" as
- your search term in the Rare Disease Database).
-
- Therapies: Standard
-
- The treatment of Yellow Fever is symptomatic. Preventative measures consist
- of mosquito control and vaccination which prevents infection.
-
- Therapies: Investigational
-
- This disease entry is based upon medical information available through July
- 1990. Since NORD's resources are limited, it is not possible to keep every
- entry in the Rare Disease Database completely current and accurate. Please
- check with the agencies listed in the Resources section for the most current
- information about this disorder.
-
- Resources
-
- For more information on Yellow Fever, please contact:
-
- National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)
- P.O. Box 8923
- New Fairfield, CT 06812-1783
- (203) 746-6518
-
- NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- 9000 Rockville Pike
- Bethesda, MD 20892
- (301) 496-5717
-
- Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
- 1600 Clifton Road NE
- Atlanta, GA 30333
-
- References
-
- INTERNAL MEDICINE, 2nd Ed.: Jay H. Stein, ed.-in-chief; Little, Brown and
- Co., 1987. Pp. 1594-1599.
-
- THE MERCK MANUAL, Volume 1, 14th Ed.: Robert Berkow, M.D., ed.-in chief;
- Merck, Sharp & Dohme Laboratories., 1982. Pp. 120.
-
- YELLOW FEVER: A MEDICALLY NEGLECTED DISEASE. REPORT ON A SEMINAR. T.P.
- Monath; REV INFECT DIS 1987 Jan-Feb; 9(1):165-75.
-
- STUDIES ON YELLOW FEVER VACCINE. I. QUALITY CONTROL PARAMETERS. O. de
- Souza Lopes et al; J BIOL STAND 1987 Oct; 15940:323-9.
-
-