Yellow fever

Type of viral haemorrhagic fever (also dengue fever, Lassa fever, Ebola).

Basics

• spread by Aedes mosquitos
• incubation period = 2 - 14 days

Features

• may cause mild flu-like illness lasting less than one week
• classic description involves sudden onset of high fever, rigors, nausea & vomiting. Bradycardia may develop. A brief remission is followed by jaundice, haematemesis, oliguria
• if severe jaundice, haematemesis may occur
• Councilman bodies (inclusion bodies) may be seen in the hepatocytes