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Yellow Fever

What you need to know and do to prevent the disease

What is Yellow Fever?

Yellow fever is a viral infection that is spread to humans through a bite from a mosquito carrying the Yellow Fever virus. It causes fever, yellowing of the eyes and bleeding from any body openings such as mouth, nose, eyes, ears etc. The “yellow” in the name refers to the jaundice (Nkaka) that affects some patients.

What are the signs and symptoms of Yellow Fever?

After three to six days of infection with the Yellow Fever virus the following signs and symptoms usually appear:

Rapid onset fever.
Abdominal pain.
Diarrhoea.
Vomiting.
General body weakness.
Yellowing of the eyes.
Loss of appetite.
Bleeding from any body openings.
Some patients may develop yellow eyes, abdominal pain, bleeding from the mouth, nose, eyes and stomach.