A pleasure again to be sharing content with all of you; before developing the topic that I bring today to socialize I would like to wish you a great month of November.
Today I bring a topic of a disease that fortunately, thanks to the use of vaccines, is becoming less frequent but still exists, and by the resemblance it has with other diseases in its presentation is often confused and delayed diagnosis, allowing some cases to pass to a stage that can even lead to death, I refer to yellow fever.
This is a viral febrile disease, which has many points in common with other viral diseases, which causes confusion. Let's see below what are the characteristics of this particular disease.
Let's start by knowing that it is transmitted by a mosquito, similar to the one that transmits dengue, chikungunya, among others. Therefore, we can infer that it requires specific weather conditions for it to reproduce, so we can say that one of the main ways to prevent it is the elimination of the mosquito and its breeding sites.
This mosquito is usually endemic to some areas of Africa and South America, where the climate is warm and there are alternating rainy and dry seasons. This mosquito bites someone who has the viral infection, and absorbs part of the blood of this one, with viral load, inside the digestive system of the mosquito the virus fulfills part of its vital cycle, and when this mosquito bites another person it inoculates the virus.
When the virus enters the human organism, the other part of the life cycle begins. Where it will reproduce, lodging mainly in the liver and kidneys. This triggers the disease. It remains replicating for 3 to 6 days, which is the time when symptoms begin to appear.
These symptoms are basically triggered by liver involvement, which triggers acute hepatitis. When the liver is affected, all the processes in which it is involved are severely affected, including coagulation. This can lead to severe gastrointestinal bleeding, which is expressed as vomiting blood, which is why it is also known as "black vomit ".
Fortunately this appears only in severe cases, which is not usual, but let's analyze the symptoms that appear more constantly, approximately after 6 days, and which in turn are the ones that make it difficult to differentiate with other viral diseases.
Fever: like most viral diseases, as the virus reproduces, the immune system will attack the virus to prevent its reproduction.
Muscle pain: fever causes that part of the muscle fibers are affected, the high temperature generates rhabdomyolysis, which produces dollar.
Additionally, metabolic toxic substances accumulate in the muscles and joints, which causes pain.
- Headache: the same fever can produce this symptomatology. Considering also the dehydration that is generated by the fever.
- Chills, loss of appetite and nausea or vomiting. These are part of the symptoms we commonly see as well.
Mild hepatitis is present, which causes the liver to be unable to process bilirubin and jaundice is present. And this is the reason for the name by which the disease is known, "yellow fever".
Because of the symptoms that occur, the first few days it is difficult to achieve a specific diagnosis, since it can be any viral disease, because both dengue which is more common, malaria, among others, and so spend the first few days.
Even the flu can start with similar symptoms, considering that reality, it is quite difficult to think immediately in yellow fever. Once the symptoms become present, it will take an average of 5 days before they begin to disappear on their own.
The vast majority go through the disease and do not present complications, but there is a percentage of these that do become severely complicated.
The main problem is that there is no specific treatment for the virus. The treatment is based on minimizing the symptoms and on a very strict control of hydration, absolute bed rest, and the administration of antipyretics (medicines for fever). And waiting for the person's organism to finish eliminating the virus.
Fortunately, there is a vaccine against this disease, which avoids severe symptoms, and even prevents the disease as such. To a great extent, it depends a lot on the immune system and the nutritional status prior to the disease. This is what will allow the body to defend itself or not against the virus and recover quickly. This vaccine has been administered for more than 60 years, and it is quite safe and, most importantly, provides lifelong protection. It is one of those requested when traveling to countries where the disease occurs frequently.
**The vast majority go through the disease and have no complications, but there is a percentage of them that are seriously complicated.
The main problem is that there is no specific treatment for the virus. Treatment is based on minimizing symptoms and very strict control of hydration, absolute bed rest and the administration of antipyretics (medicines for fever). And wait for the person's body to finish eliminating the virus.
subsequently, there is a vaccine against this disease, which prevents serious symptoms, and even prevents the disease itself. To a large extent, it depends a lot on the immune system and the nutritional status prior to the disease. This is what will allow the body to defend itself or not from the virus and recover quickly. This vaccine has been given for over 60 years, is fairly safe, and most importantly provides lifelong protection. It is one of those requested when traveling to countries where the disease occurs frequently.
