Yellow Fever

Yellow fever (YF) is a disease caused by yellow fever virus (YFV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus found in Sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America. The virus exists in a transmission cycle involving tree-hole breeding mosquitoes and non-human primates with the exact species of mosquito and primate varying by geographic location. The disease YF gets its name from virus-infection of the liver resulting in liver dysfunction such that the skin of those infected turns yellow. There are no treatments for YF other than supportive care but there is a very effective live attenuated vaccine, termed 17D. Despite the availability of a vaccine there are still over 100,000 severe YF cases and over 50,000 deaths each year.