Yellow fever is a serious disease caused by the
yellow fever virus. Yellow fever is found in certain parts of Africa and South America.
How Do You Get Yellow Fever?
Yellow fever is spread through the bite of an infected mosquito.
Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on infected humans or monkeys. Infected mosquitoes can then spread the yellow fever virus to humans when they bite.
Yellow fever is not contagious, meaning it is not passed directly from humans to other humans. Yellow fever is not spread through casual contact, such as touching or kissing a person with the virus.
Transmission of the yellow fever virus occurs in two main ways: urban (mosquito bites an infected human) and sylvatic (mosquito bites an infected monkey).
Yellow Fever Incubation Period
When a person becomes infected with the yellow fever virus, the virus begins to multiply inside the body. After three to six days, the symptoms of yellow fever can occur. This period between becoming infected and the start of yellow fever symptoms is called the incubation period of yellow fever.
Yellow fever symptoms vary among individuals. Some will have no symptoms, others may develop flu-like symptoms, and some may develop very serious yellow fever symptoms, including death.
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