Pest Borne Diseases - Yellow Fever
March 7, 2019
The yellow fever is a viral disease transmitted by, you guessed it right, the mosquitoes. If you have been living in a cave, or have not been paying attention, mosquitoes transmit many diseases. In fact, too many that they are now considered the most dangerous creatures on the planet.
The “yellow” in the name yellow fever refers to jaundice that appears in some of the patients. In the United States, this disease is quite rare, but still, there are some reported cases in South Carolina. Yellow fever is diagnosed based on laboratory results, the symptoms, and the patient’s travel history.
Symptoms
The thing with yellow fever is that for most people, there will be no symptoms. In patients with symptoms, these are fever, chills, severe headache, body pains, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and weakness. The time to develop from infection to illness is 3 to 6 days. A small percentage of patients, however, will develop a more severe phase within 24 hours. They would then have a high fever, jaundice, abdominal pain, and dark urine. There may be bleeding in the eyes, nose, mouth, and stomach. Afterward, the patients may die after 7 to 10 days.
Transmission
The yellow fever is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito. In turn, mosquitoes get the virus by biting primates, whether human or nonhuman.
Treatment
As of now, there is no medicine to treat yellow fever. Plenty of rest, take in a lot of fluids, use pain relievers, and medicine for fever are advised. For those with severe symptoms of yellow fever, hospitalization is a must.
Prevention
A vaccine is a safe and effective way to prevent yellow fever. This vaccine is a weakened form of the yellow fever virus, and can even give a lifetime of protection to the beneficiary. Babies at the age of 9 months, the elderly, and those who are traveling to high-risk areas are recommended to take the vaccine. There are plenty of vaccination clinics all over South Carolina. But perhaps, the most effective way to prevent yellow fever is to prevent mosquitoes from biting you and your family.
Getting Rid Of Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes like to hang around stagnant water. Therefore it is important to remove things that can hold water. Things like old tires, old cans, plastic containers, old gutters, and other similar objects. If you have swimming pools and a birdbath, monitor these. Mosquitoes may be present so change the water regularly which can help to lessen the presence of the pest.
Use the Environment Protection Agency-approved insect repellent, specifically with the ingredient DEET. As much as possible, wear long sleeves and long pants.
For added protection, try using a mosquito net in your bedroom. Mosquitoes frequent the bedroom, so it should be no surprise that the mosquito bites you get are usually after a good night’s sleep. Mosquito nets can help you prevent that.
These are a few of the ways to get rid of mosquitoes. Keep in mind that when you get rid of them, you not only prevent yellow fever infection, but you also prevent all the other diseases that the mosquitoes are known to spread.
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