yellow fever vaccine

Yellow fever is a serious disease caused by the yellow fever virus. Yellow fever is spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. It cannot be spread from person to person. Yellow fever can cause fever and flu-like illness, jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin), liver failure, respiratory failure, kidney failure, vomiting of blood, and possibly death. The yellow fever vaccine exposes the individual to a small amount of the virus (or to a protein from the virus) and causes the body to develop immunity to the disease.

Yellow fever is carried and spread by mosquitos.

The yellow fever vaccine is used to help prevent this disease in adults and children who are at least 9 months old.

This vaccine works by exposing you to a small dose of the virus, which causes the body to develop immunity to the disease. This vaccine will not treat an active infection that has already developed in the body.

This vaccine is recommended for people who plan to live in or travel to areas where yellow fever is known to exist, or where an epidemic has recently occurred. The vaccine should also be given to people who will spend any amount of time in rural areas where yellow fever is endemic, or those who are otherwise at high risk of coming into contact with the virus.

You should receive the vaccine and all booster doses at least 10 days prior to your arrival in an area where you may be exposed to the virus.

This vaccine is also recommended for people who work in a research laboratory and may be exposed to yellow fever virus through needle-stick accidents or inhalation of viral droplets in the air.

Like any vaccine, the yellow fever vaccine may not provide protection from disease in every person.