Thursday, January 9, 2014

Some must-know facts about yellow fever!

A viral disease caused by the bite of mosquito lead to yellow fever, which is a very common disease epidemic in the areas of sub - Saharan  Africa  and tropical  South America.

Symptoms like flu, fever with discharge of blood clearly signifies the occurrence of yellow fever.

Following are some essential facts about yellow fever that you must be aware of:

Where yellow fever is widespread? 
     
Yellow Fever is commonly found in the areas of West and Central Africa and in parts of Central and South America.

How traveler come in contact with it?

As discussed above yellow fever is caused because of the bite of mosquito, but this disease is epidemically found in the areas which are highly prone to rainy and dry seasons. People living in those areas are not much affected by the disease as compared to travelers who are visiting those areas. This is because they have a higher risk of coming in contact with infected mosquitos.

How to protect yourself?

You can protect yourself from yellow fever in two ways: firstly get the yellow fever shot before you travel and secondly follow the protective measures against insect bites while you're traveling.

Along with yellow fever, various other vaccines would be provided to you, which are categorized in three types: routine, recommended, and required. Looking into the details of your trip like country you travelling, area where you will reside and activities in which you would be involved, all the necessary vaccines would be given to you which will help safeguard you from the diseases.

Visiting a travel clinic is must, if heading for a trip to sub - Saharan Africa and tropical South America. The doctor will guide you and provide you all necessary precautions that will help safeguard you from the disease prevalent there called yellow fever.

Who should get yellow fever vaccine?

Anyone travelling to areas of sub - Saharan Africa and tropical South America needs to get themselves immune with Yellow Fever vaccine

What to expect after vaccination?

Yellow fever vaccine is unlike to regular vaccines. A person getting vaccine of yellow fever will face adverse reactions like headache, muscle ache, low grade fever, and soreness. These reactions usually occur in 1 to5 days after immunization. 

One might get severe allergic reactions as well, like shortness of breath, lip or tongue swelling, difficulty breathing, encephalitis, etc. In such cases, person must visit the respected doctor from whom he or she had got vaccination.