Yellow Fever: Travelers Beware!

The Aedes aegypti and the Aedes alpobictus breed of mosquito, are the  guilty culprits of transmitting the Zika virus, and they could now be threatening us with an outbreak of yellow fever. A large outbreak in Brazil recently, has health officials concerned that infected travelers could bring the disease into the United States. Here’s an article with more information.

Mosquitoes that carry Zika could bring deadlier yellow fever this year 

he Zika scare of 2016 could morph into a yellow fever panic this year if South Florida residents let down their guard when it comes to protecting themselves from disease-carrying mosquitoes. There hasn’t been a yellow fever outbreak in the United States in more than 100 years, but state health officials are concerned that a large outbreak in Brazil — and other outbreaks in South and Central America — could lead to infected travelers bringing the disease to South Florida, which has the right mosquitoes and climate for it to spread.

Yellow fever is rare in the U.S. However, it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be taking preventative measures to protect ourselves from mosquitoes. Here’s some worrying statistics that will make you want to reach for the repellent.

A huge percent of the United States could be impacted by these deadly pests! It’s quite a terrifying and thought provoking situation.

What is Yellow Fever ? Symptoms, Vaccines for Mosquito-Borne Disease

Mosquitoes are more than pesky insects that cause itchy bites—they can also carry dangerous and deadly infections. The same type of mosquito that carries the Zika virus that caused concern after an outbreak in Brazil from 2015 to 2016 also carries the yellow fever virus. Yellow fever is more dangerous. In March, a travel notice was issued for people traveling to Brazil: “There is a large, ongoing outbreak of yellow fever in multiple states,” according to the CDC. The travel notice ranked Brazil at level 2, meaning travelers should take “enhanced precautions” due to a higher than desirable risk of contracting the virus.

If you are thinking about travelling to any of these areas in South America, then please do consider the precautions that you must take for not just your own health, but also for the sake of others. You may not know that you have been bitten by an infected mosquito, and it is quite possible to be carrying a mosquito transmitted disease back from your travels to your home country.