IngentaConnect The Challenge of Yellow Fever

Author: Monath, Thomas P.

Source: Vaccines. Preventing Disease and Protecting Health, Vaccines. Preventing Disease and Protecting Health , pp. 65-72(8)

Publisher: Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)

Abstract:

Yellow fever is the original viral hemorrhagic fever—a frightening and life-threatening illness. During the late 19th century, its scourge became so serious in some parts of the Americas that the disease served as a principal catalyst for the birth of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in 1902. Today the threat of yellow fever persists in tropical areas of Africa and the Americas. Approximately 15% of those infected by the bite of a mosquito carrying the virus develop the hepatitis syndrome, and 20–50% of these patients succumb to the disease. Although much attention had been given to Ebola and other emerging diseases in recent years, the incidence, morbidity, and mortality associated with yellow fever far surpass those of the other viral hemorrhagic fevers. The recent outbreaks of the disease in 1999–2001 remind us that, despite the availability of a highly effective vaccine for over 65 years, yellow fever remains a continuing public health concern on both continents. This chapter provides an extensive overview of the disease, as well as information on Yellow Fever Vaccine-Associated Neurotropic Adverse events (YEL-AND, previously known as Post-Vaccinal Encephalitis), among other things. This is a chapter included in Vaccines. Preventing Disease and Protecting Health, a book that celebrates the ways in which vaccines have played a role in improving the health of the world's populations.

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