{"id":5338,"date":"2019-04-11T06:28:08","date_gmt":"2019-04-11T06:28:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/?p=5338"},"modified":"2021-06-01T00:08:32","modified_gmt":"2021-06-01T00:08:32","slug":"14-indicative-symptoms-of-yellow-fever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/14-indicative-symptoms-of-yellow-fever\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Indicative Symptoms of Yellow Fever"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Are you considering a trip to Africa or South America? If so, you might want to go through this list of eight indicative symptoms of yellow fever. Infection with this virus occurs due to sustaining a bite from an infected mosquito. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yellow fever has two stages to the disease, and not everyone infected with the virus receives the second stage symptoms \u2013 known as the acute phase. The toxic period of yellow fever has a 50-percent mortality rate. Unfortunately, there is no cure for yellow fever, and infected individuals will have to wait for the virus to run its course, receiving treatment for their symptoms as they occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, some of the symptoms associated with the acute stage of the virus are easy to misinterpret as symptoms of another infection \u2013 such as the flu. If you\u2019re traveling to a known high-risk area, it’s best to receive a yellow fever vaccine at least 4-weeks before your departure.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.    Mosquito Bites<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Since yellow fever<\/a> occurs due to sustaining a bite from an infected mosquito \u2013 it should be your first indicative symptom of the disease. While not all mosquitos carry the virus, you should treat every bite in a high-risk zone as a potential threat to your health and contraction of the virus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you did not receive the yellow fever vaccine before your travel date, then make sure you take note of the days where you sustain mosquito bites. It\u2019s next to impossible to avoid mosquitoes, but there are a few preventative strategies you can use to reduce your chances of being bitten. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mosquitoes are most active in the early morning and evening. Wear long-sleeved clothes and pants during these hours to prevent bites. Purchase a mosquito repellant to ward off the mosquitoes, and regularly apply throughout the high-risk periods of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep a can of insecticide spray in the bathroom, and spray around the base of the toilet in the morning before you use the facilities. Mosquitoes like to hide under the rim on the outside and attack your legs when you sit down.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

2.    Muscle Ache and Headaches<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the first signs of yellow fever to show up after the incubation phase of the virus ends \u2013 is muscle ache and headache. As with most other viral infections, symptoms of muscle ache occur due to the body\u2019s immune response fighting off the virus<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the immune system detects invading pathogens, it ramps up the production of white blood cells to destroy the invading pathogens. Unfortunately, these white blood cells attack healthy tissues in the body as well \u2013 resulting in symptoms of muscle ache and headache.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doctors treat these symptoms as they occur using anti-inflammatories and painkillers to provide relief to the infected individual. In most cases, if yellow fever, these symptoms last around four days to a week before showing signs of subsiding. If the infected individual does not clear the virus due to a weakened immune system, they run the risk of developing the toxic phase of yellow fever.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

3.    Joint Ache<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The same mechanism that causes muscle ache is also responsible for the development of joint ache symptoms in those people infected with the yellow fever virus. As antibodies attach to the virus cells, they block the effects of the infection. However, the immune system is not done yet and launches the second phase of its attack on the invading pathogen <\/a>by converting T-cells into white blood cells to eliminate mucosal cells affected by the yellow fever virus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During this process, the white blood cells start to produce interleukins and cytokines to recruit more white blood cells to the infection site, as well as kill off any abnormal cells affected by the virus. Interleukins and cytokines are responsible for your joint ache symptoms, as well as your muscle and headaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since there is no cure available for yellow fever, affected individuals will need managed care to ensure their symptoms don’t progress – causing the infected person to experience delirium and seizures that could lead to the development of a coma.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

4.    High Fever<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the indicative signs of yellow fever in its early stages \u2013 is the development of high fever and chills. When the brain detects invading pathogens, it signals the hypothalamus <\/a>to turn up the internal body temperature to \u201ccook\u201d the virus cells. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yellow fever cells are sensitive to changes in body temperature, and by initiating a fever, your body tries to eradicate the virus and slow its spread in the body. The hypothalamus signals the release of pyrogens, which increases body temperature, resulting in a fever. Doctors may be hesitant to break the fever using medications, as it’s naturally designed to kill off the invading virus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, they may choose to provide monitored care to check if the fever gets out of control. Should the internal temperature rise to extreme levels, your doctor may then decide to step in on the situation and administer drugs to reduce your fever.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

5.    Chills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

People who experience an infection with the yellow fever virus first start to experience the development of a high fever in the early stages of the disease. We\u2019ve discussed how the hypothalamus increases the production of pyrogens to drive up body temperature and kill off the invading cells. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, why do we experience chills <\/a>along with a fever \u2013 wouldn\u2019t it be one or the other? As the pyrogens turn up the heat, it takes time for your body to adapt to the new temperature setpoint initiated by the hypothalamus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result of the lag in temperature, the body interprets the new temperature setpoint as the basal level and starts to think that it\u2019s cold. As a result, the infected individual may begin to develop chills and cold, clammy skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doctors will only treat this condition if they think that the fever is getting out of control and presents a risk to your health.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

6.    Decrease in Appetite<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The gastrointestinal system is home to 70-percent of the immune system. When infected individuals start to notice the indicative signs of the disease showing up, the immune system, goes into overdrive to produce antibodies <\/a>and white blood cells to fight off the infection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the majority of body energy is going into fighting the condition, the digestive system temporarily shuts down, resulting in a decrease in appetite as the nerves in the gut signal to cut the production of ghrelin \u2013 the hunger hormone. Most people experiencing yellow fever infection will see the symptoms back off after 72-hours, returning them to normal health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The patient should begin to feel their appetite return and should start eating again shortly after that. However, should the symptoms return after the person begins to feel better, they may be entering the toxic phase of the disease. Doctors may decide to use IV drips to provide the body with the hydration and minerals it needs to sustain metabolism during this phase.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

7.    Backache<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the stranger symptoms of yellow fever involves feelings of aching in the lower back and behind the knees. In most cases of influenza <\/a>infection, the affected person will notice signs of body ache in all of their joints and muscles as antibodies and white blood cells attack tissues to eradicate the virus cells. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This strange symptom occurs because pyrogens, the cells responsible for elevating body temperature, tend to congregate around the nerves. The lower back is a complex web of nerves that extend to the lower limbs. As a result, the infected person may notice that they wake up in the morning with symptoms of lower back pain and tight knees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In most cases, these symptoms start to diminish as the fever breaks and leaves no lasting damage to the nerves. Doctors can treat pain symptoms using painkillers and anti-inflammatories, but they may be hesitant to break your fever as it could result in the persistence of the virus and the development of the chronic stage of the disease.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

8.    Development of the Toxic Phase<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most cases of yellow fever involve the acute stage of the disease, with patients pulling through the infection. However, in some cases, patients may start to show signs of recovery \u2013 and their condition then begins to regress. This sign of the development of the toxic phase of yellow fever is cause for grave concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Up to half of all patients that end up with the toxic phase of yellow fever \u2013 die as a result of the virus. All of the characteristic symptoms return with a vengeance, and doctors may battle to control the acceleration of the infection, resulting in severe complications with the kidneys and liver. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patients may notice that their skin and whites of their eyes start to turn yellow as Jaundice <\/a>sets in. This yellowing is a sign of liver toxicity and eminent liver failure. The renal system is also at high risk of developing kidney failure. Eventually, the patient may start to experience very high fever that results in delirium, progressing to seizures, and finally \u2013 a coma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

<\/div>