Yellow Fever Diagnosis

To make a yellow fever diagnosis, your doctor will ask a number of questions, perform a physical exam, and recommend certain tests. Some tests that are used to help make a yellow fever diagnosis include blood tests, cerebrospinal fluid tests, and electrocardiograms (EKGs). To definitively make a diagnosis of yellow fever, your doctor will draw a blood sample and send it to a commercial or public health laboratory for confirmation.

Information on Yellow Fever

Yellow Fever Diagnosis: A Summary

In order to make a yellow fever diagnosis, your doctor will ask questions about a number of things (including recent medical and travel history), perform a physical exam, and recommend certain tests. As part of diagnosing a yellow fever virus infection, the doctor will also rule out other more common causes of possible yellow fever symptoms, such as the flu or the common cold.

Tests Used for a Yellow Fever Diagnosis

If the doctor thinks a person is at risk for yellow fever, he or she can order certain tests. These tests can include:

Blood tests
Cerebrospinal fluid tests
Electrocardiograms (EKGs).

These individual tests will not definitely diagnose yellow fever, but they can be helpful. To make a definitive diagnosis of yellow fever, the doctor will draw a blood sample and send it to a commercial or public health laboratory for confirmation.