Posted on June 23, 2016 by Julianna LeMieux
There has been a lot of talk about the Aedes mosquito since Zika first became widely known. Rarely does a day go by when something about Zika doesn’t make the news. But the same mosquitoes also spread another infection, one that we hear almost nothing about, and it can be far worse than Zika.
The World Health Organization released a situation report last week regarding a yellow fever outbreak in West Africa. This has all of the markings of the next global health emergency, and it may happen very quickly.
Like other mosquito transmitted viral infections, most people who are bitten and contract the virus do not have symptoms. When they do, the symptoms are similar to those of flu: fever, headache, nausea/vomiting, and backache. As you can imagine, yellow fever is frequently mistaken for malaria or any other infection that includes a fever and headache. In most people, yellow fever subsides within three to four days.
However, in a small percentage of patients, there is a second, much more severe wave of the infection that hits a day after the initial set of symptoms passes. In this second wave, the high fever returns, and with it, a wallop to several different organs of the body, most frequently the liver and kidneys. Patients develop jaundice, which gives the skin and eyes a yellow hue — this is where the disease gets its name — dark colored urine, and black vomit. In some, bleeding occurs from the mouth, nose, eyes or stomach. People who enter this second phase of the disease have a 50 percent chance of surviving. ......Read more
There has been a lot of talk about the Aedes mosquito since Zika first became widely known. Rarely does a day go by when something about Zika doesn’t make the news. But the same mosquitoes also spread another infection, one that we hear almost nothing about, and it can be far worse than Zika.
The World Health Organization released a situation report last week regarding a yellow fever outbreak in West Africa. This has all of the markings of the next global health emergency, and it may happen very quickly.
Like other mosquito transmitted viral infections, most people who are bitten and contract the virus do not have symptoms. When they do, the symptoms are similar to those of flu: fever, headache, nausea/vomiting, and backache. As you can imagine, yellow fever is frequently mistaken for malaria or any other infection that includes a fever and headache. In most people, yellow fever subsides within three to four days.
However, in a small percentage of patients, there is a second, much more severe wave of the infection that hits a day after the initial set of symptoms passes. In this second wave, the high fever returns, and with it, a wallop to several different organs of the body, most frequently the liver and kidneys. Patients develop jaundice, which gives the skin and eyes a yellow hue — this is where the disease gets its name — dark colored urine, and black vomit. In some, bleeding occurs from the mouth, nose, eyes or stomach. People who enter this second phase of the disease have a 50 percent chance of surviving. ......Read more
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