Yellow Fever is a hemorrhagic condition that can lead to a high fever, bleeding into the skin, and cell death in the liver and kidneys. It can lead to a jaundice condition in which the skin turns yellow. The virus is transmitted by mosquitos, mainly the Aedes and Haemogogus species and is most likely to occur in tropical and subtropical parts of South America, parts of the Caribbean and Africa. It rarely affects South Africans unless they have travelled to high-risk areas.
In the early, acute stage, the individual may experience:
- aching muscles, particularly the back and knees
- a high fever
- dizziness
- a headache
- loss of appetite
- nausea
- shivers, or chills
- vomiting
