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Medical Author:

Steven Doerr, MD

Steven Doerr, MD

Steven Doerr, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Doerr received his undergraduate degree in Spanish from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He graduated with his Medical Degree from the University Of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, Colorado in 1998 and completed his residency training in Emergency Medicine from Denver Health Medical Center in Denver, Colorado in 2002, where he also served as Chief Resident.

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Medical Editor:

Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP

Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP

Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP is the Chair of the Department of Medicine at Michigan State University. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt Medical School, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Indiana University.

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In this Article

• What is yellow fever? What is the history of yellow fever?
• What causes yellow fever?
• How is yellow fever transmitted?
• What areas are high-risk for contracting yellow fever?
• What is the incubation period for yellow fever?
• What are yellow fever symptoms and signs?
• How is yellow fever diagnosed?
• What is the treatment for yellow fever?
• What is the prognosis for people with yellow fever?
• Can yellow fever be prevented?
• Where can people get more information on yellow fever?
• Yellow Fever At A Glance
• Find a local Doctor in your town
• Yellow Fever Index

Yellow fever is endemic in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and South America, though an estimated 90% of the cases reported occur in Africa. Most of the cases on the African continent occur in unvaccinated individuals who inhabit the sub-Saharan region. Though no cases of yellow fever outbreaks have ever been reported in Asia, this area remains a theoretical risk because the mosquitoes responsible for transmission, as well as the susceptible primates, are found there.

Several factors determine an individual's risk of acquiring yellow fever during travel, including the area of travel, season, immunization status, duration of exposure, activities during travel, and the local rate of virus transmission.