Yellow Fever Cure

There is currently no cure for yellow fever -- once a person has become infected, the only thing he or she can do is wait for the body to kill the virus. Therefore, current treatment for yellow fever is focused on providing relief of symptoms as the body fights the yellow fever virus. Although there is no yellow fever cure, there is a vaccine that can provide protection for 10 years or more.

 

Yellow Fever Cure: An Overview

Once a person has become infected, there is only one yellow fever cure: time. Therefore, current yellow fever treatment goals are focused on providing relief of symptoms as the body fights the yellow fever virus. In most cases, the body can effectively kill the virus. The yellow fever death rate is believed to be between 5 and 10 percent.
 

Yellow Fever Cure: Vaccine and Other Prevention Suggestions

Just like the saying goes: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." In this case, prevention of yellow fever comes through the yellow fever vaccine and preventing mosquito bites when traveling to areas where yellow fever can occur.
 
The yellow fever vaccine is a live-virus vaccine that has been used for several decades. A single dose provides protection for 10 years or more. If a person is at continued risk for yellow fever infection, a booster dose is needed every 10 years. Adults and children over nine months old can be given this vaccine.
 
(Click Yellow Fever Vaccine for more information on this yellow fever prevention strategy.)
 
Preventing mosquito bites reduces your risk of getting yellow fever, along with other diseases that mosquitoes can carry. Take the common-sense steps to reduce your risk, including the use of:
 
  • Insect repellent
  • Protective clothing
  • Mosquito netting.
     
(Click Yellow Fever Prevention for more suggestions on preventing mosquito bites.)
 
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD